Books

If you are looking to learn more about the terrible institution of slavery in the United States, this is your book. The book not only covers The Underground Railroad, but also events surrounding it. It discusses how the Fugitive Slave Law affected folks views on slavery in the north and south. It highlights the many brave souls, black and white, who helped form The Underground Railroad and be successful, to save African Americans from what many in the south called the "peculiar institution".

Elizabeth Warren, a Presidential candidate until recently, had finished This Fight is Our Fight after the 2016 election. She speaks about how the economy is not setup to work for those who need a fair economy most. The economy makes the rich richer, as opposed to the average worker sharing in the increased profits. The middle class will disappear if there is no chance for upward mobility. She explains how this is not the time to loosen regluations (if there ever is a time). Folks should not be profiting by abusing the environment or contributing to climate change. The government should instead be incentivizing the opposite. We want to leave a clean planet, and well, a livable planet at all, for our posterity.

When you drink water out of your faucet, you expect that it is safe and free from toxic chemicals. The residents of Flint expected no lead to be in their water. The residents of Hinkley, California, expected their water to not contain the toxic chemical hexavalent chromium. And a farmer in West Virginia expected that PFAS not be in the water on his farm. This book recounts attorney Robert Bilott's two decade battle with DuPont.

Whether a Democrat or Republican, this book is a must-read to understand in more detail what happened during the 2016 Presidential election. I decided to listen to it this year in preparation of the upcoming Presidential election. We need to ensure that foreign powers do not interfere in our election (yes, Russia, among others), and ensure that "fake news" is not shared. One can have their own opinion, but not their own facts. Read (or listen!) the book to learn more.

Trayvon Martin was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida in 2014. The killer initially hid behind a controversial law referred to as Stand Your Ground. A young, black teenager was taken from this world, most likely because of this law, and a neighborhood watch volunteer who should never have been in possession of a gun while patrolling the neighborhood. This book is written from the viewpoint of Sybrina Fulton (Trayvon's mother) and Tracy Martin (Trayvon's father). One can only imagine the magnitude of loss these parents feel from losing their son, and the killer not only not getting arrested, but eventually being charged after a special prosecutor is assigned, and then getting acquitted. 

This novel by George Orwell is quite interesting, especially if one is familiar with the inner workings of government. The idea of always being watched, and maybe even thoughts monitored, is a scary proposition. It is one that would not stand in the United States of America, thanks to our Constitution and three separate but equal branches of government. If one branch were to step in the wrong direction, it would most likely be checked by another branch. This is one reason the United States of America has been so successful. If interested in a stroll down the opposite path, read on...