How to Feed a Dictator by Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Enver Hoxha, Fidel Castro, and Pol Pot Through the Eyes of Their Cooks by Witold Szablowski

The subject matter about the personal chefs of some of the world's most evil rulers might seem taboo to many. Until about a month ago, I didn't even know that this book existed. I think it was a story on CNN that talks about the documentary movie of the same name where I learned about the book. The film was on Netflix, which of course, I don't subscribe to. But I learned in the piece that the doc was based on a book. 

Immediately I went to Amazon and placed an order. I would have finished this book a week earlier but for some reason, my first order was cancelled. I'm wondering if some other culinary teacher out there saw the news story at the same time I did and snatched the copy I ordered up before me. I hear that if a simultaneous order is made on the same item, timestamp proof gives the sale to the person who completed their order first.

It really wasn't such a big deal. I did have to pay an extra 2 bucks for my copy. But I like the faux menu cover better than the one for the used copy I first tried to obtain.

Polish writer Witold Szablowski focuses on 5 dictators: Cambodia's Pol Pot, Cuba's Fidel Castro, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Albania's Enver Hoxha and Idi Amin, the President of Uganda and the Last King of Scotland apparently. Despite being a history major in college, I had never heard of Hoxha and though I knew a tiny bit about the Killing Fields of Cambodia, Pol Pot could have very easily been a foreign made cooking vessel for all I knew. 

None of these 5 men are going to win congeniality awards. Though if you had to force me to pick a dictator who had the best intentions based on the chefs who describe them, I would probably say that Castro is portrayed as the most sympathetic figure. Pol Pot was the most difficult to understand. Why would you want your people to be free and yet you kill millions of them? I think Idi Amin's former chef knows a lot more than he let on. Amin is rumored to have dined on the liver and flesh of his political adversaries. Hussein had a temper and could easily turn on you if you pissed him off. But he loved loyalty and would lavish his riches on those he trusted most. Plus, I do agree that his sons were both 10 times more vicious and bloodthirsty than he was. And when it comes to Enver Hoxha, a hero of his native land when it comes to his fight against the Nazis, I have 2 very distinct opinions. 1) he became corrupted by being thrust into his post-World War II leadership role and 2) based on talk about a head injury sometime in the 50s or 60s, I think Hoxha suffered from the later CTE effects of post-concussion syndrome. Perhaps had he not been injured, he might not have been so ruthless. 

You might think that the 6 total chefs interviewed by the author deserves zero sympathy or care for the mere fact that they feed some of the 20th century's most diabolical leaders. But you got to realize that these chefs were literally cooking not just for their lives but for the lives of their spouses, children and family members. Did some of them financially benefit? No doubt. But there were times where they were a hair breath away from being executed because they over-salted the soup or burnt the bread. As to paraphrase one of the chef's: your role in an authoritarian government goes out of play when your very survival is on the line. And from what I gathered, only Castro's 2 surviving cooks and Pol Pot's chef choose their professions. The other 3 literally had no say in the matter or it was too late to back out once their clients were revealed to them 

This is a compelling book. I'm not sure why the story Pol Pot's chef is broken into 4 chunks in between chapters before she's given a chapter of her own. It really disrupts the flow of the narratives. Also, there's not really any standardized recipes in the book. A lot of them cooked based on the personal preference or whims of their employers. Though I would be interested in trying the ceviche techniques discussed that were a favorite of Castro's. The steak dish made of grapefruit, during a time of severe Cuban beef shortages also look interesting. But the goat pilaf recipe that Saddam Hussein loved so well, forget it! Once you've kissed a goat and her babies, you can never eat of their relatives ever again. I might have a morbid curiosity about the dining habits of dictators. But I'm not a monster.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Duh! The Stupid History Of The Human Race by Bob Fenster

This book is presented in 3 parts. The opener was what I was looking for when I bought it. You get dozens of accounts of people doing stupid things. From politicians to celebrities. From athletes to everyday Joes and Joans. There's are a ton of boo-boos here. It's comforting to know that other people make mistakes and fail just like I do. But who are we kidding? It's also entertaining. 

When author Fenster presents the facts, he's great. You really can visualize the chaotic episodes. But Fenster also likes to add his own personal comments to the accounts. Some exposition is warranted; like the times he crosses the international dateline to tell about how someone from a foreign culture made a big mistake. What might seem normal to us American readers is taboo overseas and it's needed for Fenster to explain why such and such's faux pas was a big deal in Thailand, Egypt or wherever. But sometimes, the author gets really preachy and it's rather annoying.

This occurred ad nauseam in the second section where the author has an invisible interviewer question him about why the human race is so dumb and is it correctable. Fenster really harks on how humanity has developed planes that shoot missiles from miles away at innocent people. I agree, this is not one of humanity's finest moments. Neither was the creation of nuclear bombs and the misuse of the media as crowd control (or bread and circuses- depending on your view) for the populace. The author spent about 60 pages on his manifesto of human stupidity. But he only used the same 4 or 5 examples to prove his thesis. And honestly, I don't think he really proved his point. Fenster tries to answer a question about if followers of religion are dumb or not and he tries so hard to give an answer without upsetting anyone. I wonder if Fenster ever thought about becoming a politician...

The last section, also the smallest, was a decent read. Fenster gives 62 tips on how to be smarter and in a way, more productive. While many of the author's tips seemed a bit far fetched, I liked the examples of noted people who lived in such a way to become successes. Also, I appreciated how he praised those of us who practice a skilled trade as being vital parts of society.

The stupid things were enjoyable. The diatribe about how we're all stupid was  uh, well, stupid. But I liked the listicle on how to be smarter. My advice, skip the middle section.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

I found this 2024 work in the graphic novel new release section of my local library. Though I am not really sure that you could classify this book as a graphic novel. It's more of a hybrid graphic novel/prose non-fiction biography. I'd say a good 50% of this book is prose. Plus the dialogue is very wordy. But I think that's to be expected as the subjects of this book by John Hendrix were both academics and philosophers.

C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were the 20th century's most distinguished fantasy writers. Lewis wrote dozens of works in many genres, including early science fiction, children's literature and Christian theology. Tolkien was a perfectionist with anxiety and writer's block. But he managed to create an entire universe with his 4 volumes of completed stories set on Middle Earth. 

For a good period of time, the two were the best of friends and if it wasn't for the other encouraging their mates on, we wouldn't have Aslan, Frodo, the White Witch or Gandalf the Grey. They were each other's biggest fans and harshest critics. But as iron sharpens iron, Lewis and Tolkien refined each other into becoming 2 universally beloved authors. Unfortunately, as happens with many friendships, the two men grew apart. Yet, the respect and love the two had for each other was unwavering.

I had a difficult time getting through the first chapter. It wasn't about the history of Lewis or Tolkien. Instead, it was more of an introduction of what made a story either a myth, a legend, or a fairy tale. While I learned how a fairy tale could be as such without the inclusion of a fairy, I was very lost in this opener. Plus, I didn't like how close to calling The Bible a fairy tale or myth the author got and he's supposed to be a Christian author and illustrator!

Our narrators are a Wizard in full garb along with a pointed hat and a Lion dressed in rather a shabby looking blazer. I took me a while to figure out that the Wizard personified Tolkien, who was essentially one of the first cosplayers, and that the Lion in a shabby flannel coat was Lewis, as a lion is the main heroic character in The Chronicles of Narnia, and Lewis wasn't known to be a very flashy dresser 

While the opening chapter was a bit of a chore to get through, the rest of the book was not. It was a fascinating history of the two authors, growing up at the turn of the century, during an industrial boom, experiencing the horror of World War I and then witnessing the sun set on the British Empire after the devastation of the second World War. I even felt that the trio of appendices were really good. They felt more geared for the lay person as opposed to the introductory chapter which was too academic for my tastes.

While I wasn't too keen on John Hendrix in how he kept comparing Jesus to the great stories of myth and legend, I would not mind having him act as my guide through history. I see that Hendrix wrote a graphic novel about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor who became a spy and potential assassin of Adolf Hitler. I've been wanting to read a biography of this complex figure in World War II history and this seems up my alley.

So as much of an issue I might have had with some parts of this work, I think it speaks volumes that I am willing to give John Hendrix another try. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Food For Thought: Essays and Ruminations by Alton Brown

How many people can say that Alton Brown told them to go to culinary school. Well he did and I did. Mind you, I didn't just enroll as soon as he gave me advice at a Raleigh area food expose when I asked him about some of my career goals. The time just wasn't right. But what he told me was definitely something that I spent a very long time thinking upon.

Thanks to a life changing back injury which resulted in an ill-fated, but fun as heck running, hot sauce shop, I finally took Alton's advice and enrolled in culinary school. About a year later working in the school's store room, I found that I had so much fun educating the hapless students who came in looking for extra ingredients ordered by their chef instructors  that I made it my ultimate goal to become one myself.

I spent the recommended 5 years time sloughing through the culinary industry rising to the rank of sous chef when I got the chance to go back home to teach at the very same culinary school where I got my degree in Hospitality management. When the school, which was a for-profit institution, finally closed after tons of pressure from the Federal government, I found myself wanting to continue teaching. But all of the culinary schools were either shutdown or over an hour away commute. So I found myself working as a freelance restaurant consultant, which opened me up to a bunch of culinary experiences. Finally, in 2019, I found a new home as a culinary teacher... for high school students! 

Anyways, I know that this is a really long setup for a review of a book written by Alton Brown. But feel like I should mention all of this because the Food Network legend is my biggest inspiration as a culinary teacher. I use humor, games, videos, props and unusual facts to help inspire those called 'Generation Alpha' to want to become the next generation of chefs. With cell phones, the threat of Ai destroying the restaurant industry as we know it, and a general disregard for hard work, it's a very difficult task. Thankfully, growing kids love to eat and TikTok for all it's annoying little habits, has done more to inspired young people to go experiment with their food than just about any reality series hosted by Gordon Ramsay, the late Anthony Bourdain and Guy Fieri combined.

This book is comprised of essays written by Brown primarily for this volume. It's not a collection of works he's has previously published in other publications. Here, Alton reflects on how his past history both involving and separate from food inspired him to go to culinary school for his second degree in order to change the scope of the traditional cooking show with his brilliant series Good Eats. Alton also looks at food portrayed as in books, TV and movies, his thoughts on the future of the culinary industry and potential trends we might see on our dining room table - that is if communal eating is still destined to be a thing in 5-10 years. He also postulates his theory for teaching the next generation of cooks and chefs. 

This was the chapter of which I was most interested in seeing how I stacked up. I mean, I asked the guy nearly a quarter of a century ago how do I become the host of my own cooking show and while I don't have a weekly series on cable or the Internet, I am hosting my own cooking show 3 times a day, 5 days a week; barring summer break, teacher work days and those blessed school holidays!

Alton says that to be an effective teacher you must entertain, engage and empower. I try so hard to do these 3 things. I've been trying my entire career as a culinary teacher which I have been doing for just about a decade. At least my wife thinks I do these well. And I do have contact with some of my students years after they've graduated and I am not just talking about being friends with on Facebook.

I love teaching and I try to learn from my mistakes. During my first day as a high school teacher, I got all high and mighty about the term 'Chef' and told a couple swaggering teen boys who declared themselves to be chefs that they hadn't earned the title. Needless to say, I didn't connect with those 2. But I have learned that when a kid calls themselves a chef, they're not attempting to challenge my skills, knowledge and experience. They're showing a passion for an art form that one day they might want to make into a career. 

From this read, I didn't even know Alton Brown wasn't really a chef. Nor does he want to be referred to as one. He considers himself a 'food educator.' And for the sake of pretension, true chefs don't refer to themselves as that, I learned.  For the most part, I refer to myself as a culinary teacher or instructor. But just as. French teachers have their students call them Madame or Monsieur, I do have my guys call me Chef. It's my way of making our Culinary labs as real world approached as possible by maintaining Escoffier's kitchen brigade system. I've stepped away from the ego trips for the sake of making a quality impact on my students and their career goals.

I approached this book as a student coming back to his mentor after years in practice for a refresher course on whether or not the pupil had achieved a job well done. I still fight with feelings of inadequacies because I've never once ever been mentioned in the same sentence as any teaching award, much less even been nominated. But I feel like I've lived up to Sensei Brown's philosophy on the culinary world and how to teach it. Have I made mistakes? Oh, yes. But I think that my philosophy on how to make cooking and eating even more fun and exciting than it already is, was thanks in very large part to Alton Brown.

If you became interested in cooking around the turn of the 21st century, during the heyday of the Food Network before it became all about competition instead of creativity and love of the food, whether you became a culinary professional or not, you need to read this book. Use it as a reference to see how well you did over the years. Did you pick up the baton from Alton and his predecessors? (In my case, that would be Julia Child, Martin Yan, Jeff Smith of The Frugal Gourmet and Chef Masaharu Morimoto.) Or did you let the pursuit of perfection kill that spark of passion for cooking?  

We've all had meals that missed the mark. I still remember the third meal I ever tried to make after becoming a foodie. My wife and I still talk about how terrible it was. But despite injury and a lack of time, I still haven't given up trying to make my next meal my greatest work of culinary art. And I've got Alton Brown to thank for it and I think you can too when you pick up this 2025 dissertation on the state of the world of the culinary arts.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler

This is my first venture into the Philip Marlowe archetype stories written by Raymond Chandler. Well, almost. If you thought George Lucas was bad with his constant retooling of the original Star Wars trilogy, you have never encountered Raymond Chandler. The celebrated crime author was never happy with the end result of his work and he struggled for years with perfection. It is listed as one of the underlying causes of his chronic alcoholism. 

The character began with the name Mallory. Ever the perfectionist, Chandler switched up his ultimate character ideal with another private investigator named Carmady, then Malvern before settling on John Dalmas, whom the author made the focus of a majority of his crime works from 1936-1939 when Philip Marlowe picked up the baton in the form of an ever smoking revolver to fight and solve crime in the Los Angeles area.

Once he was happy with Philip Marlowe, Chandler began to go back to his older pulp shorts and reworked the shamus into them. Stories that I have previously read such as 'Finger Man', 'Red Wind' and 'The Lady in the Lake' were written before Raymond Chandler was satisfied with his protagonist. Yet, the editions I read were the second final drafts. In this collection, I got to read the original published works. It was almost like coming across a DVD with the original 1977 theatrical cut of Star Wars- before it was retitled as Episode IV: A New Hope.

This anthology of Chandler short stories begins with the title essay 'The Simple Art of Murder'. Chandler wrote a lot of essays on crime and mystery writing. This one is considered the Gettysburg Address of brief dissertations on the medium. It gives insight into the thought process behind crafting a mystery story. It also lets me a little off the hook when I find myself feeling like something didn't gel right as Chandler argues that crime stories are full of inaccuracies, red herrings and are in a word, implausible. 

Along with the piece that was first published in the Atlantic Monthly, there are 8 short stories. My favorite was 'I'll Be Seeing You'. It was the shortest story in the book and is considered the most perfectly set mystery story of all time. It certainly was memorable and I didn't want it to end. 'The King in Yellow', 'Pickup on Noon Street' and 'Spanish Blood' were really good as well. That last story sees the main character spending some time in the same mountain town where The Lady in the Lake took place and I enjoyed the sense of a shared universe because of the setting.

I was excited to see 'Guns at Cyrano's' in this volume. That story was originally published in Trouble is My Business. But the edition I read omitted it. It was story that was worth the wait. 

I was on the fence about 'Nevada Gas'. I like that the protagonist was something other than a PI. Here, he's a mid-level hood who is simultaneously fighting off a romantic rival as well as gangsters trying to frame him for the aerosol murder of a businessman. But this story also has some gaps like in one scene when the main character walks in on his girl and the rival, who disappears but is never mentioned as ever having exited the scene.

The one story I could have done without was 'Smart-Aleck Kill'. It seems like an open and shut case of suicide. But the murder weapon is a hand gun that's been filed, which doesn't seem to fit the M.O. of a suicide. So the detective on the case goes to the widow of the gun's original owner and that's when things are supposed to get really good. But I was bored with this story. It just didn't resonate with me. It took me several days to finish and I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Though I wasn't a fan of every story, I love the crime noir world of Raymond Chandler. Even with some tales having flaws in them! I'm totally hooked right now and I want to read more. But as there's so many volumes of collected works that often have some of the same works. I think I am gonna need a list so I can keep straight what I have read and what's still out there to uncover.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones

While this is a general account of the origin of the comic book, the crux of the narrative involves Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. These 2 Cleveland kids became friends, dreamed of creating a character worthy of a newspaper strip and ended up creating the archetype of the superhero which would dominate comics for over 85 years and counting. Boy, did the creators of Superman get screwed. But so did a whole lot of comic book creators, writers and artists during the infancy of comic books. Superman's creators, especially Jerry Siegel just happened to be the most vocal about it and essentially both men were blackballed for it.

I didn't realize how much influence that organized crime had in the early days of comics. Not just the Italians; but the Jewish mob as well. Harry Donenfeld, the founder of the publisher that would become DC Comics, rubbed elbows with the likes of Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano and Frank Costello. With their money funneling through Donenfeld's publishing and printing companies, any sort of shaking of the apple cart meant unwanted scrutiny. So anytime someone complained about low page rates or contacts not being honored, scummy accountants like Jack Liebowitz would show doctored ledgers indicating huge losses while bemoaning a lack of financial security. Then someone like the creators of Superman would be tossed a couple hundred bucks and hopefully walk away quietly while the editors and publishers lived like kings.

But it wasn't just the executives taking advantage of their creators. This book will make you despise Bob Kane, if you didn't already. Kane would literally steal the credit from his ghost writers and artists while basking in the limelight of being Batman's dad. Poor Bill Finger would die a drunken pauper, having really done all the work to make the Dark Knight one of the most popular superheroes of all-time and getting zero credit until decades later after his death.

You get a renewed respect for Will Eisner with this book. William Gaines too. I didn't know that his father hated him so. And poor Bill Gaines. He just wanted to be a school teacher and ends up having to become the editor of E.C. Comics after his father's suspicious drowning death, in order to keep his family afloat financially. I also feel really bad for Gaines for flaking out during the Senate hearings on comic book violence led by Senator Estes Kefauver. Image how things could have gone differently had Gaines swallowed his pride and not insisted on testifying to disastrous results. We wouldn't have had MAD Magazine, that's for sure. 

2005's Men of Tomorrow was written by comic book writer turned noted comic book historian Gerard Jones. It's an interesting story that examines the ins and outs of the early comic book industry as well as the personal lives of Siegel and Shuster. Neither were very pretty. It's a good read that teaches a lot I didn't know. But it could have been about 30 pages shorter if Jones didn't keep reminding us about what had happened prior. Though, maybe the author was trying to capture the way comics would keep readers up-to-date on the accounts of the previous issue before diving into the latest chapter.

Plus with this being a scholarly work, there's about 30 pages of notes that you can skip as well. That is unless you enjoy reading citations and sources of which I gave up interest in pursuing years after I graduated as a History major at NC State.

A must for those remaining collectors who are devoted to the entire field of comic books across the ages. And if you love the pulps or thinking about becoming a collector of those aging precursors to comics (and I don't mean that because of the source material which is considered taboo and very un-PC), the first four chapters are the introduction you've been looking for.

Also, the cover is a collage of comic book panels crafted together by famed book cover artist Chip Kidd. I'd really like to know what book he used for the top panel. Was it from a religious comic about the Rapture? I'm very interested in knowing the story behind that panel.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley and Ron Powers

Sometime over my most recent Spring Break vacation, I stumbled across Flags Our Fathers. I caught about 90% of the 2006 live action drama directed by Clint Eastwood. It was such a an engrossing film that I immediately went on a deep dive to learn more about the events that took place on and after the invasion of Iwo Jima in 1945. It was such a an amazing experience learning so much extra detail. I even noted that the film was based on a book written by the son of one of the main figures in the film. (I don't want to say the word character as this is a true story of valiant men who gave their lives for our country. So figures it is throughout the rest of my review.)

I had pretty much forgotten interest in reading the book until I came across the movie showing recently again during my Summer break. I couldn't turn the channel even though I remembered a bunch of what I saw previously. It's that good of a movie despite being overlooked when in theaters. But thanks to the re-watch, I had the book on my radar to which a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across it at a used bookstore. 

I didn't really care about the cost. As long as it was cheaper than the original cover price. The bookstore's asking price was less than half of cover. Immediately it was sold.

When Navy veteran John Bradley died in 1994, his son James knew that he had been one of the flag raisers on Iwo Jima. (Despite the invasion being a Marine operation, because of John's medical background, he was assigned to Easy Company as a medic.) Because of the horrors he witnessed on that tiny island of sulfur, John Bradley wouldn't talk about his time there, nor the instant fame he encountered when he was named as one of the six men in the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal. Upon his death, James found boxes of citations and mementos of his father's service time, which included a cross-country war bond drive during the final months of World War II.

We now know that Bradley along with one other gentleman wasn't actually in that photo. There had been a previous raising of an American flag on the island's highest peak, Mount Suribachi. However, because the flag was too small and the head of the Navy wanted the banner of which he didn't even earn, the first Stars and Stripes was quietly replaced. Bradley helped with the first flag coming up and he was around when the transfer happened. Unbeknownst to Bradley and the other guy, Rene Gagnon, who had brought up the replacement, a photographer was taking the iconic photo which would later inspire the largest brass statue in the world. And if you asked John Bradley, that photo would become the bane of his existence.

Annually during every coming patriotic holiday, anniversaries of military powers or on the announcement of a death of a major figure in the war in the Pacific, reporters by the droves would request interviews with John Bradley. He'd have his kids answer the phone and lie that pop was unavailable as he was in Canada, fly-fishing. 

James Bradley decided to investigate the real story behind the famous photograph. By doing so, he interviewed the few remaining survivors of the invasion as well as family members and friends of the 6 men believed for decades to be putting up a flapping version of Old Glory. 3 of the men died within days of the photograph taking America by storm. If it had been published during the 21st century, it would have been referred to as 'going viral.' The other 3 men survived to return home once peace was officially declared in August, 1945. But 2 of those men would never receive recognition for their part in the second flag raising, though both men had ample time to reveal the mistaken identities. 

The lone man to be correctly identified while living was the Pima Indian Ira Hayes. He didn't want to be recognized at first and threatened to kill fellow Marine Rene Gagnon if he told military brass his role in the flag raising. Gagnon tried to stay mum until he was threatened with arrest and a court-martial and within hours, Ira Hayes was EVAC-ed from the Pacific theater and made a national hero despite his tribe's rule of not obtaining glory and personal prestige over others.

Flags of Our Fathers was written before the Marines conducted an investigation of the famous Rosenthal photo and corrected the identities of who was originally thought of as being Bradley and Gagnon. So the book doesn't explore a question that came up when I was researching for more information after seeing the movie. Was Bradley and Gagnon committing stolen valor by allowing the American public to believe that it's them in the picture and not someone else?

When it comes to Rene Gagnon, I don't know. He was the man sent up Mount Suribachi with the replacement flag. The book recounts how others didn't think he was a 'good Marine.' It was Gagnon who was asked to identify the men in the image. While he did initially keep his promise and didn't out Ira Hayes, Gagnon did point out one of the more obscured men as himself. Plus, his then fiance, and eventual wife, basked in the fame Rene received. Maybe he wanted to come clean and she would not let him. Son, Rene, Jr. states that it was an unhappy marriage and maybe the veteran's inability to tell the truth was behind all that.

As for John Bradley, I don't think he stole any valor. He did help raise the first flag and was around for round 2. He never saw the photo until after he was sent home to participate in the bond drive. So at first, when people talked about him raising the flag, he probably thought it was a picture of the initial event. When Bradley and Ira Hayes finally saw the photo in front of President Truman, Hayes pointed out that it was Harlon Block, not Henry Hansen as Gagnon originally said. However, Ira was quickly and quietly told to zip it as the 6 names Rene Gagnon ID'd were what the media was going with. 

I think this incident led Bradley to not speak up about him not being in the photograph. He never felt like a hero. To him, 'the heroes were the men who died' on Iwo Jima. I think that, plus the untreated PTSD he went through nightly for many years afterwards were reasons why John Bradley just wanted to be left alone and be a family man and small business owner.

Though Flags of Our Fathers has undergone some revisions, it's still a great and powerful read. Some parts are tough to read about. Men die in horrific ways. Some by unthinkable torture. Not something that should be on shelves in a middle school library. But it's a work that tells the truth that the American people were told. 

The edition I read was specially updated with a small selection in the back that talks briefly about the movie. I would be interested in an edition that talked about how James Bradley and his family reacted when the true identities were uncovered by the US Marine Corps.

A cool thing about this book is that after I bought it, I learned that it's autographed by the author. So, I guess I will keep it even though it's addressed to someone named 'David'. I guess even its readers can be misidentified too...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

I'm a fan of Jim Gaffigan. I've seen several of his stand up specials. His bit about Hot Pockets deserves a place in the Comedy Hall of Fame; if there is such a thing. Plus, I thought his tome Food: A Love Story was a literary classic for both lovers of comedy and food So when I came across another book from the comedian, I immediately jumped on it, expecting a big treat. Unfortunately, what Jim Gaffigan is to food, he's not so hilarious when it comes to fatherhood.

Let's back that up just a second. The guy has 5 kids with a woman that he will tell you is way out of his league. In no way am I saying that he's a terrible father or a strain on Earth's resources for having so many kids; though in this book , he argues that he is in some way both. Nor am I criticizing his parenting skills. I actually thought his making fun of children who bullied his kids at the park was rather brilliant. But when it comes to killing it in the being a dad is hilarious department, I felt like I didn't get my money's worth.

Mind you, I read this earlier in the month, leading up to and through Father's Day. Having experienced multiple miscarriages with my bride and that all my parents and grandparents are passed, that's a rough time of year for me. So maybe I was a little distanced from the experiences of the author. But I don't think that's entirely the case.

Gaffigan covers junk food, birthday cake and eating out with little ones along with other aspects of parenting. Those segments are the best of the book. I got the most laughs. Through food, though as personal insights instead of sharing a meal, I felt as a kindred spirit. Those chapters I didn't want to end. Joking about having to ride the subway with 5 little ones just didn't amuse me.

Finishing Dad is Fat, I really wanted to read his next book. I figured it would make up for the parts I felt were lacking. Unfortunately, Jim Gaffigan has only written 2 books and I've read both! His wife Jeannie wrote a book. It's supposed to be funny. But it's also about her battle with cancer. Maybe it's dark humor? I could live with that. But above all, I want more books about food from the master himself...

Maybe there's a new special of his streaming somewhere...

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Joey Green's Amazing Kitchen Cures by Joey Green

Some of you might recall the name Joey Green. He's a life hack expert who has been helping people save money by using everyday household items in some very practical and often unusual ways. I seem to remember at some point he went to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and got Jay to smother peanut all over his iconic chin and use it as shaving cream. 

Joey Green's Amazing Kitchen Cures is a book in which Joey offers tips on how to cure and treat a variety of ailments using everyday ingredients like olive oil and black tea bags. Not all of his offered cures are edible. Like you can use WD-40 to help get a stuck ring off your finger or use panty hose, filled with oatmeal, as a soothing exfoliant if you have the chicken pox or shingles. Being from 2002, I'm not sure if all of the brand names Green recommends using are still in existence. Do they still make Star olive oil? 

The book can borderline on the repetitive. Let's be honest; there's only so many ways that you can tell readers how to use a Ziploc bag filled with ice as an ice pack. To combat the redundancy, Green includes factoids in each chapter about the ailments covered within. Some chapters include articles on the history of some of the household name products recommended by the author. There's also tips about when to give up on the home remedies and seek professional medical treatment. 

Not all of the suggestions seem practical or even safe. Green's chapter on sex has some ideas that border on risky. No way in the world am I ever going to use one of my credit cards as a toothpick! Even if I was to Purell and Clorox the heck out of it before hand... Google claims that some of Joey Green's suggestions are jokes. If that's true, I'm just not sure if some readers these days are able to weed out the hoaxes from tried and true cures.

I got this book at a consignment store. Good price. The shop had a couple other of Joey Green's books. Based on my experience with this read, I wouldn't mind a trip back to get them. Now that I understand the formula of his writing and know that not every suggestion is a serious one, I should have a better experience.

Worth Consuming!

Rating:7 out of 10 stars.

Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients by Simon Quellen Field

This book intimated me at first. Many, but not all, of the chemicals, minerals and polymers referred to in this book have an illustration of their molecular structure. Since carbon atoms are assumed to have bonds with 4 hydrogen atoms, their presence is shortened with a straight line that is often off kilter to represent another shared bond with another hydrogen atom.

In other words, to keep the image of molecular structure from being too cluttered, it's simplified with straight lines and angles. I forgot to mention that atoms that share electrons are represented with parallel lines, adding to the confusion. The first 3 chapters are filled with a glut of information about how electrons are shared and atoms are removed within their structure, I kept having to refer to the introduction that explained all of that complexity of everyday chemistry. 

I was about ready to trash this book. But the next morning, I found myself explaining some of the chemical makeup of  teen favorite foods, such as Flaming Hot Cheetos. Food dyes in foods are a big political issue right now and I had some students asking about if their favorite snacks were going to be discontinued. I really didn't understand why brominated vegetable oil would be in orange soda in the first place. Thanks to this book, I now understand that orange flavonoids are composed of fats which do not bind with water. That means without the emulsifying effect of the bromides, your orange soda will separate like an unshaken bottle of Italian dressing. Plus it wouldn't look orange. Having just read about all that in this book, I was able to explain that thanks to the government ban, you would still have your favorite foods. Only, I imagine your unopened bottle of Sunkist is going to look very different in the next couple of years.

I started to see that the teaching resource that I was hoping this book would be in my culinary classes actually coming to pass. But I was still overwhelmed by the writing since this was a college level read. So I set a goal to read 5 pages a day. Eventually I began to learn about how emulsifiers, cleansers, flavoring agents and food dye are not just made but crafted into other products that we use in our everyday lives. Not all of it bad, either.

The antifreeze mentioned in this book is actually a natural chemical that by itself does prevent products from freezing. But without another chemical agent added to the antifreeze that helps prevent damage to vehicles, it's not toxic to humans.

If you teach CTE Culinary Arts or Foods and Nutrition Courses in either middle or high school, you should get this book! If your department head is anything like mine, you're expected to cross teach from a variety of subjects in hopes of boosting those ever important testing scores. This book can help you work on making Chemistry and bio-sciences more relatable to your students. Just don't feel bad if you have to do a review of that section on how to read and understand a structural formula more than once. Lord knows that I was still checking it over with just a couple of pages left to read. 

Maybe I should have paid better attention in Chemistry when I was in high school...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Lies You Learned at School by Michael Powell

A pick up from a dollar book sale. This book attempts to factually dispute the myths and legends we've been taught in grade school. It's kinda like a textbook version of TV's Adam Ruins Everything, without the abrasive, whininess of Adam Conover.

When author Michael Powell talks about how George Washington really didn't lie about chopping down a cherry tree, much less actually cut such foliage down to sizes, Powell is great. I learned a lot of inside detail about the midnight 'ride' of Paul Revere, that Mount Everest is NOT the tallest mountain in the world and baseball wasn't invented in the US of A. However, I felt completely lost when Powell attempted to explain how certain mathematical theories such as '2+2=4' have been taught in error.

You know, that's kinda the danger when you write a book that covers a myriad of all topics. No matter how well you might understand a subject, that doesn't mean that you were meant to explain it to others. I think if Powell had stayed away from the complexity of the sciences and focused more on the human element, (and general fun facts debunked) I would have enjoyed this book more thoroughly. He had me when talking about how that apple probably never fell onto Sir Isaac Newton's crown. But when the author tries to explain the science behind the theory of relativity, I was begging for a chance to turn the page.

There will probably be some of you readers who prefer Powell's explanations of equations instead of the truth behind whether Mussolini made the trains on time. However, if you are like me and you can't visualize math without a step-by-step graph on how to solve for X, then you may not enjoy this book completely. This is a book that has a little bit of everything. I just don't think it's a book that will appeal to everyone.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

The Portable Obituary: How the Famous, Rich, and Powerful Really Died by Michael Fargo

Writer Michael Largo crafts an over 300 page obituary column paying tribute to some of the most famous and infamous people to ever have lived. There's also quite a few people that have become forgotten over time, slipping through the cracks of pop culture and world history. 

I thought that Largo's writing style was clear and concise. I learned a lot of interesting things from those lesser known celebrities to how medical terms involving the cause of death have changed over the years. I thought it was ironic how over 100 years ago, wealthy people were said to have died of exhaustion while the poor were categorized as dying of laziness; when in reality it was their living conditions and manner of life style, through excess or severe want that were the true culprits.

I thought that there were several notable figures absent from this book. Largo covers how a number of presidents die. However, there's no mention of JFK. Bobby Kennedy, Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., are also omitted from this work. Michael Largo has another book called Final Exits, about the various ways people have died. I want to read that book. Perhaps he focuses on assassinations in that book and thus didn't want to repeat himself... 

Some of the facts the writer presents seemed contradictory to other books and documentaries I've seen over the years. Some of it could just be me remembering details differently. Though I must ask why Largo neglected to mention the resurrection of Jesus Christ in his listing on the founder of Christianity? Whether the author believed in Jesus as Savior or not, to not mention that many believe Christ rose from the dead was a serious oversight. Michael Largo wrote in other obituaries that further similar important religious figures are believed to have returned to life. Or never passed at all. Why not with a historical figure whose proclaimed resurrection is the founding tenet of one of the most important religions in human history?

The inside cover states that this book covers over 1,000 famous deaths. However, that's a deceptive blurb. I would say that Michael Largo covers probably 300 deaths in great detail and another 100 in 1-2 sentence factoids. The remaining majority are regulated to an index which tells of famous people such as Buddy Hackett and Wyatt Earp, with only a birth date, date of death, age at the time of death and cause. Imagine that, your whole life summed up in 3 short lines- just like a standard obituary.. 

Lastly, this book claims that Michael Largo has a humorous slant on the deaths of these notable figures. I understand that when dealing with such a morose subject, a hearty sense of humor is vital to prevent yourself from falling into a depression. However, I didn't really think the writer was all that funny. Informative? Absolutely! I devoured this book. It was an entertaining read. However, I felt like the attempts at humor were mostly bad puns and the equivalent of undertaker Dad jokes.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The He-Man Effect: How American Toy Makers Sold Your Childhood

Box Brown explores how corporations have manipulated our fandoms in this 2023 non-fiction graphic novel. While Brown explores the affects of propaganda on the American populace during the two World Wars, his focus is on toys because many of those psychiatrists who used science to ideally heighten pro-American sentiments ended up being hired by advertising agencies after the conflicts. In between the first World War and the attack on Pearl Harbor, women were the primary targets of those advertisers. However, with the baby boom after the fall of Japan, companies were made aware of a brand new untapped market: children.

It turns out that our tiny undeveloped brains cannot tell the difference between the fictions of a TV show and the commercials that fill in gap time. So when a kid sees Superman telling kids that Wheaties is the only cereal for him to eat, they believe that in order to be just like the Man of Steel, the kiddies need to eat Wheaties too! This blending of the two types of media got so bad that restrictions were made by the FCC, thanks to a bunch of angry moms, that prohibited children's programming from being essentially a 30 minute commercial for products. There were a few exceptions like Sesame Street, which was considered educational for children and being on public television, never ran commercials. It's also why during the 60s and 70s, that TV shows like Laugh-In, which was clearly for more mature audiences could appeal to children on lunch boxes and trading cards. It wasn't considered kids programming, so those shows could license out products meant for kids. It also explains why the 1970s was the best decade for cartoons.

This all changed in November, 1980. Ronald Reagan became President and he appointed those to head the FCC who opposed the restrictions on advertising to children during the Saturday morning cartoons and after school programming. Mattel was about to launch a new toy line that promised to rival Kenner's Star Wars behemoth, Its main character was called He-Man. However, capturing the imagination of the youngsters who would demand mom and dad buy it for them would be no easy feat without able word of mouth and frequency on the airwaves. With FCC deregulation of kids programming, Mattel was able to produce an animated series that would essentially be a 22-minute commercial for the Masters of the Universe toyline. 

Thanks to the series produced by Filmation, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe became a cultural touchstone for children in the mid-1980s. I should know, I was on of those kindergartners who started to drop their Star Wars figures and instead pickup a He-Man and a Skeletor figure. I still love the original He-Man series. I've bought massive omnibuses containing the entire run of mini comics inserted with each action figure. I also have a book devoted to the seldom seen newspaper strips. I'm currently on the hunt for the comics produced by Marvel imprint, Star Comics, without going bankrupt doing so. 

While my love for He-Man hasn't diminished reading this historical account of pop culture in the 20th century, I am chagrined to see how much I have been manipulated by Mattel, Kenner, Hasbro and the likes. Eternia's Prince Adam doesn't say 'By the power of Gray Skull. I have the power.' to become He-Man, though it helps. That was an ear worm planted by toy designers to trigger something in our little pea brains to want to consume more Masters of the Universe merch! The same goes with 'Yo, Joe!', 'Thundercats, Ho!' and so many other catch phrases of my childhood.

I'm almost mad at Box Brown. I've enjoyed a lot of his previous works. But with The He-Man Effect, I feel like he exposed the man behind the curtain. There was just a little too much of Adam Ruins Everything that destroyed some of the magic of my youth. The book does explain very well why we get upset when our favorite childhood franchises are rebooted or made 'woke' with diverse casting changes or switching genders of characters. But what I'm most upset about is that these toy lines and animated series that were bright spots to a childhood fraught with bullying and abuse, weren't there to make me happy and secure. They were created to make people rich. Thanks to Box Brown, the truth about my childhood heroes is that they weren't there to protect me. They just wanted my money.

Worth Consuming, but man does it hurt.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Burnout Cure: Learning to Love Teaching Again by Chase Mielke

I started reading this book in January and had to take a break on it for a while. I teach high school culinary which hadn't been a easy thing to do with the pandemic happening during my first couple of years as a high school teacher. I had had several near breaking points in the past. So when my admin team offered this book as part of a book club for CEUs, I jumped at the opportunity.

I actually started out the 2023-24 school year pretty good. Aside from being the only teacher still wearing a mask, and being like the only person at my school to still not get COVID, the first half of the year started quite well. The winter holiday came, my wife and I dodged a bullet by not going to visit in-laws who all got sick and I started out the new year forgoing ice cream and OTC pain killers that I was taking way too many of and having fatty liver issues with. Through January, I was feeling really good. And then it was February...

Around February 2nd, I started feeling pain over not just all my joints, but in the very center of my bones. Especially my femurs. But worst of all was my skin condition from having a family genetic issue. I was feeling every inch of skin over my entire body at the same time. It was this burning itch, constantly. I couldn't sleep. I was so exhausted. I was miserable. 

Thankfully, the admin team leading the book club behind about this book was so supportive. The other participants were too. I still went to the meetings, but I gave up on the book because I just couldn't concentrate on it and I felt like I could only devote my small remaining energy to lesson plans and teaching. 

Things thankfully got better at the end of March, right before spring break. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Put on a couple of meds that calmed things down. And I learned about my condition and started figuring out ways to cope with the disease. 

So I started up the book in April. Nope. Then my goat was stolen. I went into an obsessive depression trying to find her. Then my Siamese cat Sarakit got sick and died. Needless to say, it took a while before I was in the right frame of mind to finish this book without giving in to burnout.

I set a goal to finish this book before I started back to work for the upcoming school year. I completed the last 100 pages with just over 4 weeks to go. Based on what I read in this book, I would like to think that author Chase Mielke would consider that a success! Goal achieved. 

The Burnout Cure is aimed at teachers because Mielke is a teacher himself. Or at least he was before winning some awards and then probably became administrator as what usually happens to the good ones. Anyways, despite the education career focus, this is a book that anyone needing help and encouragement surviving a job or career that just didn't turn out as well as expected could benefit from. It gives a ton of tips on how to interact instead of just dealing with the current generation of students. Plus it offers tips on finding the good based on the worth you place on yourself instead of how you interpret your management team values you.

For example, my program and school has produced 2 consecutive district Teacher of the Year winners. (One actually was eventually named TOY for our entire state). My department boss really made me feel valueless because of those winners and how she told me once that she shouldn't have hired me based on a lesson plan that was a huge success with the entire school, despite being a tad extravagant. Anyways, as I was continuously passed over for TOY (heck, I've never ever been nominated), I began really thinking that I was a terrible teacher. That thinking got extremely worse during my massive fibro flare over the winter. Yet, my book club and my wife pointed out that with having students asking if they could put up flyers for my missing goat, asking me to come to prom and then graduation and then after graduation requesting to have lunch with me over the summer as a group with me, the only teacher, it's those kind of relationships built that is way more important than winning TOY. 

Chase Mielke, has helped me reframe my thinking. Heck, I'm looking forward to going back to work... mostly. (I mean, what teacher wants to lose their vacation days?) With my illness, plus diabetes and anxiety disorder, I feel more empowered to say no and not for reasons of being a jerk. I also feel ready to focus on the student and parent relationships instead of just checking off boxes for the admin team's approval. 

If a book like this can win over a pessimist like me, even to the point that I am recommending this book to other teachers, as well as my bride...

Look, I'm still not a fan of the extra admin work we teachers are forced to do. And I'll continue to keep a secret weapon in my arsenal: my sarcastic and slightly dark sense of humor used to disarm tense situations in my classroom. But I feel that thanks to this book,  I can feel better in myself as an educator when I decide that my caring teaching relationships with my students are far more important than filling out busy work data projects for the department of education. If you're a teacher, especially one in need of encouragement because you'll on the cusp of calling it quits or pondering early retirement, you really should give this book a read! It very well could be the life preserver you need in order to keep making a difference in the life of a child.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

That's a Fact, Jack! by Harry Bright and Jakob Anser

I enjoyed the heck out of this book and yet I was left unsatisfied. For one thing, this book claims to be a 'collection of utterly useless information'. However, I felt that there was some really interesting stuff inside that could be useful for a game of Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy!. 

Then there's the length of the book. 192 pages. However, most pages have only one factoid. Some might have two, tops. Either more facts could have been inserted into this book OR they could have reduced the page count by, oh maybe a third. No wonder we're having a shortage on trees! 

Some generic illustrations are added throughout the book. Public domain stuff from the late 1800s and such. They're extraneous. Again, instead of these fillers, either put in more facts or take out some pages!

When this hardcover book debuted in 2006, the MSRP was $21.99! Had I paid that much for this book based on all the faults I have for it now, I would have been pissed! Currently, this book sells new on Amazon for $9.99. That's a 55% discount and still too rich for my blood.

Thankfully, I got this at a used book store 'fill a bag' sale. I think the bag cost $20 or $25. We filled that sucker to the brim and then some. I'd say I ended up spending less than $0.75 for this book. Maybe a bit less. That sort of bargain prevents me from rating this book lower. But I wonder if I should for those of you who might not benefit from a massive fire sale. 

I liked what I read. I just do not feel like there's a portrait of Andrew Jackson's worth of knowledge inside.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Secrets of Houdini by J.C. Cannell

Harry Houdini died on Halloween, 1926. Before his death, he made his wife Bess promise to reach him from the beyond with an annual seance. Bess would attempt every Halloween night to reach her husband until her death in 1943 at age 67. With each failed attempt, the widow would expose the fraudulent medium as her husband would do vehemently in his later years. With all that history revolving around nearly 2 decades of Halloween night explorations into the unknown, it's no wonder I chose to read this non-fiction work for my October reads.

The book I had came with a copyright of 1989. Only, there's no way that this book came from that decade. J.C. Cannell, who wrote this look at how Houdini did many of his famous tricks died in 1953. According to Magicpedia, the one-time vice-president of London's The Magician's Club wrote The Secrets of Houdini in 1931. Now you might think it scandalous that such a well known member of the magician community would write a book exposing how the world's former greatest illusionist and escape artist performed his tricks. But crafting such a book was one of Houdini's last wishes before he died. 

J.C. Cannell's writing is definitely of the time period. But that's okay as I've read a few non-fiction works from the 1930s before. So I was used to the excessive use of titles atop each page that kinda details what you'll be reading. The prose is sensationalist, reflecting the yellow journalism melodrama of the early 20th century. 

When Cannell writes about Houdini's life and times, it's a really great read. I also enjoyed the chapter on how mediums 'conjuror spirits' as well as a lot of Houdini's quick escape and quick change tricks.  Man, does this book make me want to learn more about picking locks. A lot of these solutions are so simplistic. I felt embarrassed that in all my years of watching magic shows, that I never picked up on how they really were done. 

If ever a book needed some diagrams and pictures, it's this one. There are a few diagrams at the beginning. But they all go away by the time we get to the chapters on rope tricks and card tricks. These were also the hardest chapters to read. No matter how much I'd re-read an explanation, I just can't visualize how these tricks were done. It's probably why I always failed at my attempts at magic with those kits one would get at the toy store. I never could make them work. Plus, with the illusion shattered, I lost interest. 

This book is full of about a dozen pages full of black and white photos. These pictures show elements of Houdini's life and career that aren't mentioned at all. I didn't know Houdini was a movie star. And I would've liked to learn more about the trick when Houdini jumps from a moving plane onto the wing of another- without a parachute! That's definitely the kind of trick you can only mess up once!

Next October, I want to continue learning about Houdini. Only this time, I want a more conventional biography. I'm sure there's something decent out there. For now, I'm passing this book off to my wife. She always asks me 'How do they do that?' when a magic act stumps her on America's Got Talent. Maybe I can explain the escapes and the supernatural acts and she can get me a better understanding of those card tricks. But once she's done reading it, I'll probably sell it or donate it to a thrift story in hopes of inspiring another amateur conjurer.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Murder Book

Not even a week ago, I reviewed a true crime book about murders in New England. Now I am reviewing a graphic novel on true crime. I'm not a fanatic of the genre. My mom sure was. That and mysteries were like her bread and butter. Horror was up there too and I think her fascination with true crime and mystery was a great influence on that and vice versa. 

I'm currently down to just a handful of requirements left to read in order to complete my 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. I chose this book to fulfill my need for a memoir. But despite what the cover of this graphic novel says, I don't think I can truly call this book a memoir.  

Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell examines our society's obsession with true crime. When I say 'our society', I'm really talking about the good ol' U.S. of A. Sure, England has its obsession with Jack the Ripper. But, I think that's more because nobody has yet to truly solve the crimes. So when it comes to murder and how it's literally become an artform, no other country leads the pack than America. 

Campbell explores the explosion of true crime by reflecting on her upbringing while examining a trio of killers- the Zodiac Killer, Ted Bundy, and Tom Capano. Zodiac is essentially what got Campbell's mother interested in true crime as she lived within striking distance of the areas that this unknown serial killer prowled. Ted Bundy is really the figure that first gained national exposure as a serial killer. Thanks to Bundy's friendship with Ann Rule, that relationship essentially created the term 'true crime' with her groundbreaking novel, The Stranger Beside Me; though the unnamed genre had been around for centuries. Tom Capano is really just a small blip on the true crime map. But it's the first case that really peaked Campbell's interest in the subject and thus his murder of mistress Anne Marie Fahey is explored in length. (By the way, Fahey was just one of at least 3 mistresses that the wealthy, powerful and demented Capano had that readers are informed of!)

Throughout this graphic novel, Campbell explores TV, movies and now podcasts which have become fixtures of true crime. Things like Law & Order, Forensic Files, Making of a Murderer and much, much more. The whole thing with the true crime podcasts is unlike anything I've ever seen as there are seemingly hundreds of amateur detectives out there examining every aspect of both popular and under-the-rug murders, posting their work to millions of listeners and getting rich from it, as well sometimes solving murders or helping innocents receive justice. 

Without the pandemic, I really don't see these podcasts becoming so quickly ingrained in our society like they have. Its like the lockdown created a need to find solace in the pain of others and murder podcasts filled that gap. I appreciate that Campbell alluded to this. But there are so many other crimes and serial killers that the author didn't even touch upon. Ed Gein. The Son of Sam. The Menendez Brothers. OJ! And what about how both John Hinkley Jr. and David Berkowitz were so influenced by Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye that they both carried out deadly plans to varying degrees of success? 

I smell sequel! And I am completely okay with that. Though if you do, Hilary, could you make the font a little bigger??? Some of those book titles were extremely hard to read.

O other thing I am not okay with is how insecure I feel after reading this book. Yes, I have really bad anxiety. But I'm not suddenly terrified of being another notch on a serial killer's belt. Instead, I found myself today starting to worry that every woman I passed at the grocery store, coffee shop and post office was fearful that I was a secret killer from every odd look I got in my Indiana Jones Fedora, black sunglasses and blue COVID mask. Maybe they just thought I was weird. I'd be okay with that. But I'm not a serial killer.

I eat cereal... But that's a different type of cereal killer...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Raising Adventurous Eaters: Practical Ways to Overcome Picky Eating and Food Sensory Sensitivities by Lara Dato, MS, OTR/L

This book is essentially a parental guide book into navigating the eating habits of children aged 0-7. There's also a lot of early child psychology in here. But I was still able to learn some insights into the mind of older eaters thanks to this book.

I teach high school culinary. Right now, I am trying to increase my food knowledge in various aspects to help with ideas for teaching and being able to answer questions about food that might pop up that I just don't know the answer to. I selected this book because I always seem to have a bunch of older kids wanting to learn more about different types of food and cooking. But when I provide them with something completely foreign to them, they freak out. 

Thank goodness for potato chips with unusual spices on them or I'd never be able to teach my unit on herbs, spices and seasonings. 

It takes a large portion of my lab classes getting students to agree to cook something different than what they know grandma makes and a huge chunk of the post-cooking time is spent trying to convince the kids that what I just taught them to make isn't going to kill them if they try it.

I think if anything else, I at least learned a lot of insight on what made my students become apprehensive about the foods they eat. It takes a child anywhere from 20-40 times of being introduced to a food before they may decide that the food stuff is something they want to add to their repertoire.

I like to think that I wasn't that apprehensive an eater as a kid and with a lot of food I was really venturesome, especially Asian and Italian cuisine, I was the most adventurous of eaters. Yet, I reflect on my time as a kid and I realize it took me until my teens to like Latin and Mediterranean foods. Both of which are things I love and thrive at teaching others to cook as an adult. Unfortunately, when I offer my kids a chance at learning to make anything in the world for class, overwhelmingly they've chosen Chicken Alfredo as the dish to learn. 

Author Lara Dato offers several worksheets that I think will help me understand my students and their food choices better. I hope to utilize some of them when the new school year begins. I've learned some new things to say when a student gets antsy about food. I've also learned what not to say. But I wish the author would have spent a little bit of time helping to navigate food allergies. 

Dato wants parents to not label their kids. Nor should we stigmatize them around their food choices. Cleaning the plate is a rule I wish my parents never enforced. And there's a ton of landmines to navigate with concerns of body image, especially with the fat and calorie counts of the foods we eat. Yes- body image is sometimes a factor in why some of my students will not try the foods they cook. But what about food allergies? 

Sure- you don't give a kid poison. But I would have liked some tips on how to handle it if a student asks to make something that they can't have. How do you suggest substitutions without diminishing a child's interest in food? How to prevent others from mocking the allergic student? How do you give a child confidence to say 'I can't eat this if it has peanuts. I'm allergic.' Anything would have been appreciated on this subject.

While we're at it, a tiny chapter on introducing new foods while maintaining social and religious beliefs would have been a great addition here. 

Surviving the peer pressure behind the food we eat. Maybe that's the sequel Lara Dato needs to pen for the parents and children who graduate onto solid food.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Dragon Hoops (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Oakland, California. It's the start of the 2014-15 school year and graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang has just finished the book tour of his 2 volume account of China's Boxer Rebellion Boxers and Saints. Ready to begin another year of teaching computer science at Bishop O'Dowd High School, Yang is also feeling the stress of following up his recent critically acclaimed works. 

Yang is afraid that he's out of ideas. But a chance encounter with members of the O'Dowd Dragons boys basketball squad brings forth inspiration. Gene has never really been great at sports. More of a nerd than a jock, the part-time comics creator really doesn't even understand that game of basketball. But after meeting with O'Dowd's coach, Lou Richie, Yang thinks he's got the idea for his next book.

O'Dowd lost in the state final last year. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride seems to follow the boys of Bishop O'Dowd. But with the state's top prospect, Ivan Rabb along with seniors Paris Austin, Alex Zhao, Isaiah Thomas and Jeevin Sandhu, O'Dowd has a very good chance to finally win their first championship!

From pre-season practices all the way to the California High School big dance, Gene Luen Yang will travel with the Dragons to chronicle their season. Along the way, Yang highlights the team seniors, diving into the depths of their past histories. What is it like to be a young black basketball star in Oakland, America, the world? How does a Sikh Indian immigrant handle the pressure when the opposing fans brand him an Islamic terrorist? How does a Chinese basketball prospect live abroad in the United States with a host family? Can you thrive in basketball as the little brother of a superstar women's basketball prospect? These are just some of the questions about culture Yang will explore as he also takes the reader on an early history of the game of basketball.

I found Dragon Hoops a fascinating read. It's what Friday Night Lights is to football. Yang basically has to do 3 things in this book. He's got to educate us on the origins of basketball. He'll need to introduce us to all of the major characters of this book. And he has to guide us through an entire season of high school boys basketball. Gene Luen Yang balances all 3 segments of this book extremely well without once being boring or repetitive. 

Dragon Hoops is just over 440 pages long. I did not want this book to end. I've been all smiles as I've Googled many of the characters in this graphic novel to see how they've fared since the end of the 2014-15 season. Yang berates himself for not being good at drawing likenesses. But I think he did a really great job at this book.

Gene Luen Yang no longer teaches. Right after this book, he devoted himself to comics full time being tasked with a run on Superman before creating a line-up of Chinese legacy heroes in the pages of New Super-Man. After both successful runs, it was nothing but up, Up and UP for Yang. But don't be surprised if we see a return to Bishop O'Dowd. Not that I think Yang is going to go back to teaching or anything like that. But I really could see this biographical graphic novel becoming a movie or TV series.

And if that happens, you read it here first! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #39 (Featuring the LGBTQ+ or different ethnic group) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.