This is the story of the struggle by British physicians/surgeons and nurses for the right to an education/training in the field of medicine and for thThis is the story of the struggle by British physicians/surgeons and nurses for the right to an education/training in the field of medicine and for the right to practice their profession. Slowly they got to the point they were allow to care for women and children, but forbitten to treat men. World War One and the influenza pandemic changed their roles. This is the story of the all women run British Military Hospital called Endell Street Military Hospital.
Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson both physicians/surgeons went to France in 1914 with the British Red Cross and started an all women hospital for the care of all wounded. It was highly successful and impressed a few key British high-ranking officers. They returned to England in 1915 and built the Endell Street Hospital from an old building. It was the largest all women run military hospital. It was famous for being extremely clean (Florence Nightingale would have been proud). During the 1917-18 pandemic they had barriers between beds; staff all wore masks and gowns. The hospital was continuously scrubbed clean. Moore published a book called “No Man’s Land”, but I believe it is the same book under different title. I found this book fascinating. The treatment of not only the women in the medical field after WWI but all the women that stepped up and carried on the work was despicable, but not unexpected. Women may have been blocked again from an education or right to work, but at least they got the right to vote. I highly recommend this book. It held my attention throughout.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is fourteen hours and thirty minutes. Antonia Davies does an excellent job narrating the book. Davies is a British actress and audiobook narrator. ...more
I have just read the biography of Andrew Yang by Matthew Wilson and now have finished reading Yang’s “The War on Normal People”. This book tells of thI have just read the biography of Andrew Yang by Matthew Wilson and now have finished reading Yang’s “The War on Normal People”. This book tells of the problems of automation and AI (artificial intelligence) in the workforce.
The book is well written and researched. Yang points out the problems are here now and are only going to get worse and at a much faster pace than most people realize. I found it frightening the list of jobs and professions that will be reduced or eliminated by automation and/or AI. A few that are soon to be effected are those people who drive for a living. On the higher education end are radiologist, pathologist and attorneys that review documents and research precedents.
It is apparent that Yang has thought about this problem and has come up with some suggestions for change. One of the solutions that will need to be enacted that Yang did not discuss is population control and reduction. Reading this book brought to mind one of H.W. Wells stories in which “automation and the lack of opportunity yield a legacy of social ruin.” Yang states “in places where jobs disappear, society falls apart.” Like climate change this problem is here now and we need to act now. For the benefit of society when and where should automation and AI in the workplace be used or not, needs to be discussed and regulated. I found this a very interesting book. It sure stimulated my thinking process.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is six hours and fifty-five minutes. Yang does a good job narrating his own book. ...more
A friend loaned me this book because she was impressed by Westover’s story. Tara Westover’s memoir is about growing up in Idaho. Her father is a surviA friend loaned me this book because she was impressed by Westover’s story. Tara Westover’s memoir is about growing up in Idaho. Her father is a survivalist. That is the term the publisher chose to use. I would have used a different term. She was isolated and never attended school. She was the youngest of seven children.
The book is well written. I was impressed with her drive to survive and learn on her own. She is an example of a person’s will to learn. She managed to learn on her own from books. I found her father’s various items of society that he would use or reject interesting and made no philosophical sense. There are many reviews of this book so I will keep this short. The book is worth reading to learn to what extent a person will go to learn.
I read this as a hardback book. It is 334 pages published by Random House Publishing Company. ...more
I am attempting to read the books by those people running for president. There are too many running and that means too many books to read.
This is a meI am attempting to read the books by those people running for president. There are too many running and that means too many books to read.
This is a memoir of Julian Castro. He and his brother, Joaquin, are identical twins. He was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. His grandmother was an immigrant from Mexico. She had very little education, therefore, she pushed her offspring to get an education. Julian’s mother was politically active and taught her children to be active in local affairs and national politics. Both their parents were teachers. The twins went to Stanford University and then Harvard Law School. Both are active in politics. Joaquin is a member of the House of Representatives and Julian was the mayor of San Antonio; then was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Obama. He is now running for president. This book is more about his personal life and less about his political beliefs or policies. I wished it had been equally balanced. I know I have complained in reviews of other candidates that their books were more on policy and less on personal life. I guess I cannot be satisfied. Overall, it was an interesting read and a look into the life of a Hispanic growing up in Texas. I do feel I have a better understanding of Julian after reading the book.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is five hours and forty-four minutes. Julian Castro narrated this own book....more
I learned so much from this book about not only Alexandria but of Egypt and the Mediterranean. The book covered the economy, history and existing knowI learned so much from this book about not only Alexandria but of Egypt and the Mediterranean. The book covered the economy, history and existing knowledge of the ancient era. I guess if you think of the library and museum of Alexandria in modern day terms, it would be called a university, a think tank as well as a library. I did note that Alexandrea was a diverse city of Egyptians, Jews, Greeks, Romans and people from neighboring countries. It is amazing to realize the city was designed to have a sewer system, running water, as well as the city was laid out with streets and buildings.
The book was well written and meticulously researched. I found the section about Hypatia (350-370-415 A.D.) to be most interesting. The way the author told the story has triggered me to want to learn more about Hypatia. She was a mathematician and philosopher in the later days of Alexandria and was considered a great teacher. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. It is eleven and a half hours. Simon Vance does an excellent job narrating the book. Vance is a well known award-winning audiobook narrator....more
This book is co-authored by Scalia’s son, Christopher J. Scalia, and is a collection of Scalia’s speeches on legal issues, friends and a variety of toThis book is co-authored by Scalia’s son, Christopher J. Scalia, and is a collection of Scalia’s speeches on legal issues, friends and a variety of topics. The book is designed for the general reader.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the foreword to the book. Scalia and Ginsburg were great friends and fellow opera fans, but one was a liberal the other a conservative.
Scalia was an articulate speaker who had a way with words. He also had a great sense of humor. The book is well written and edited. Christopher has chosen speeches by Antonin that allows the reader to gain further insight into the man as well as the jurist. The book is broken down into categories such as friends, law, faith and so on. The sections I enjoyed the most were the speeches about being an Italian-American and the difference between an American and an European. Of course, I enjoyed most of the sections but those two gave me much to ruminate on. I have read all of Scalia’s books and biographies, therefore, I am familiar with his philosophy of constitutional originalism and his being a textualist in statutory interpretation. I know him to be a master of the English language, but from this book I learned he was also a gifted grammarian. That will make a great trivia question. I may not always agree with what he said but I love to read or hear what he had to say. Scalia was able to state his reasons in a succinct manner and in beautiful prose without the use of rhetoric. This will make a great reference book.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is fourteen hours long. Christopher J. Scalia does a good job narrating the book.
The author is born in Philadelphia and raised in Houston. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in journalism. Her grandparents fled ChThe author is born in Philadelphia and raised in Houston. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in journalism. Her grandparents fled China during the Cultural Revolution and immigrated to the United States. Chu notes the irony that 50 years ago Mao conducted his anti-intellectual purge and now Shanghai schools top the world in math, reading, and science and the USA is only in the middle of the pack.
Chu and her husband live in Shanghai for his work at a news agency. They have a young son who goes to the local school. His skills in math and Chinese language excelled but Chu noted behavioral changes that lead her to examine the educational system in China and the USA.
The book is well written and researched. It is written in the journalistic style. The author noted that the Chinese schools give less attention to the poor students and spend time and resources on the high achievers. She stated the U.S. system is “No Child Left Behind”. She noted the Chinese schools are rote memorization then they allow them to explore more complex applications after they have achieved a certain level of understanding. The Chinese schools also taught obedience and self-discipline and squelched individualism and creativity from the beginning of school. I found the differences in educational techniques interesting and was wondering if there was a way to combine the best of the two systems to create a better school system. The conformity and lack of individualism and creativity really bothers me about the Chinese system. According to the author, China is in the process of changing its methods to allow for more creativity in the students.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eleven and a half hours long. Emily Woo Zeller does an excellent job narrating the book. Zeller is a voice over artist and an Audie nominated audiobook narrator. She has also won numerous Earphone and SOVAS awards plus was voted Best Voice in 2013 and 2015 by Audiobook Magazine. ...more
This biography of Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) was written by his great grandson, Edwin S. Grosvenor. Edwin is the son of Melville Bell GrosvenorThis biography of Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) was written by his great grandson, Edwin S. Grosvenor. Edwin is the son of Melville Bell Grosvenor (1901-1982) who was president of the National Geographic Society. Melville’s father was Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (1875-1966). He was considered the father of photojournalism and the first president of the National Geographic Society. Gilbert married Elsie May Bell (1878-1964), the daughter of Alexander Graham Bell. Bell was one of the founders of the National Geographic Society. Because of the Grosvenor family’s photography history, the book is loaded with photographs. The downside of listening to this book as an audiobook was missing out on the photographs.
Grosvenor explores Bell’s early life in Scotland and England including some of his childhood inventions. The author goes into depth about Bell’s teaching techniques to help the deaf children. He also examines Bell’s various inventions leading up to and including the telephone. He explains that Bell thoroughly understood the scientific theory of sound, acoustics and electricity. Bell had a wide range of interests and inventions in the areas of phonography, airplanes, solar power and metal detectors. He was a gifted teacher to the deaf. Bell taught Helen Keller to speak and arranged for Ann Sullivan to teach her. He also supported women’s suffrage, civil rights and warned about “greenhouse effect” of pollution. Bell felt the pollution of Edinburgh and London was a factor in the death of his brothers from Tuberculosis. This is only a brief list of the various interests of Bell. He was a most fascinating and brilliant man.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. The book is favorable toward Bell. Because the book is written by Bell’s great grandson there is more inside family information than there would otherwise normally be.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is six and half hours long. Donald Corren does an excellent job narrating the book. Corren is an actor and audiobook narrator. ...more
Kluger’s book is a comprehensive compilation of the historical court case Brown V Board of Education and the Supreme Court decision that outlawed segrKluger’s book is a comprehensive compilation of the historical court case Brown V Board of Education and the Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation. The author also covers the history of slavery in the United States and life after the Civil War for the black people. He describes the injustice, degradation and abuse to the black people.
Kluger also covers the twenty years it took for states to fully respond to the Court’s directives to desegregate schools. The author also reviews, in great detail, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments. Kluger shows how the law has served to create and alter who we are as a society.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. It is a lengthy book at 822 pages. It is a detailed history of the treatment of blacks in this country. The author reminds us that freedom without resources is simply a different form of slavery. Kluger introduces the reader to pivotal black attorneys such as Thurgood Marshall, Charles Houston and William Hastie. This is a must-read book. I am left with the thought that Kluger’s book presents America’s own version of a living holocaust.
I read this as an e-book on my Kindle app for my iPad. The recent release of the book in digital form was 2011. It was originally published on December 12, 1975.
Condoleezza Rice (1954-) is a Stanford University professor. She was the youngest provost in Stanford history. She was the first black woman to be theCondoleezza Rice (1954-) is a Stanford University professor. She was the youngest provost in Stanford history. She was the first black woman to be the National Security Advisor and the first black female Secretary of State.
Rice was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She grew up during the civil rights battles in the south. Her father was a minister and educator; and her mother was a teacher and musician. Rice trained to be a concert pianist before changing her university major to political science. Her expertise is Soviet and Eastern European Affairs. she learned the Russian and Czech languages. Her professor and mentor was Madeline Albright’s father, Josef Korbel (1907-1927), at the University of Denver.
The book is focused on her early childhood in Alabama during the fight for Civil Rights. The story is mostly about her parents and the forces that shaped the generation of black middle-class families. Toward the end of the book, Rice tells of her time at RAND and her research work there and how she started at Stanford. In her first year of teaching, Rice won the highest award at Stanford for teaching. She tells of working for President George H.W. Bush and a little about working for President George W. Bush. That time is covered in another book.
The book is written more in the style of a journalist rather than the academic style expected of a professor. The book is eminently readable. I enjoy Rice’s style of writing.
I read this as an e-book on my Kindle app for my iPad. The book is 370 pages long and was published in 2011. ...more
This book attempts to answer the following questions. 1) Is mathematics a worthwhile career? 2) What being a mathematician is like. 3) What type of joThis book attempts to answer the following questions. 1) Is mathematics a worthwhile career? 2) What being a mathematician is like. 3) What type of jobs/careers are available? The main strength of Ian Stewart’s book is the way he addresses these questions in an entertaining manner. He manages to keep his explicit advice witty and brief.
Stewart reviews mathematics from high school to daily life to post docs. He also discusses the importance of mathematic teachers and the valuable role they play. Stewart encourages women to enter the field of math. Stewarts goal is opening the door into the world of mathematics and enticing the reader inside; he accomplishes this goal.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. It is about five and half hours long. Jason Huggins does a good job narrating the book. Huggins is from Wales. He is an actor and audiobook narrator.
Hochschild is a University of California Berkeley sociologist. She states she was attempting to understand the Great Paradox: the fact that people in Hochschild is a University of California Berkeley sociologist. She states she was attempting to understand the Great Paradox: the fact that people in the poorest states who most need federal programs consistently vote for candidates who oppose those programs. The author traveled to Louisiana one of the poorest states and the one hardest hit by environmental pollution.
The people see their homes fall into sink holes caused by toxic waste, see deformities in wildlife and cancer in people including children caused by industrial pollution. They support deregulation of industry and cuts in federal aid. Hochschild says they tell her pollution is the sacrifice they have to make for capitalism. They apparently have a great mistrust of the federal government even more so than state government.
One comment the author made stuck with me. “She quickly realized that many of the stated views held by the tea party members were often not fact based but rather grounded in what life FEELS like to them.”
I gained some information and understanding from this book. I was amazed at the destruction of Louisiana by industrial pollution. I learned enough to know we have some big problems in this country that have created this situation and will tolerate the massive dangerous pollution. Louisiana is such a beautiful area; it makes me sick to learn about all the pollution. I liked the fact checking section at the end of the book; I found that most helpful. I also did a random check of the fact-checking and found the ones I looked up to be correct.
Suzanna Toren did a good job narrating the book. Toren is an award-winning audiobook narrator. ...more
I was listening to the Nebraska Educational Television (NET) podcast from the Lincoln City Library. They were interviewing, Joe Starita a professor atI was listening to the Nebraska Educational Television (NET) podcast from the Lincoln City Library. They were interviewing, Joe Starita a professor at the University of Nebraska Lincoln campus, about his new book “A Warrior of the People”. I was so intrigued I rushed over to Audible and bought the book in audiobook format.
In the 1800s women were considered unfit to be physicians. Also in the 1800s prejudice of Native Americans was extreme. Can you image what Susan La Flesche, the daughter of an Omaha Tribal Chief, had to overcome to graduate from medical school and become the United States’ first Native American female physician?
Starita covered her life from the Tribal Lands in Nebraska to private schools on the East coast then back to Nebraska to care for her tribe. She was actually born in a Tepee. She had to fight not only ethnic and gender prejudice but language, financial hurdles and all her life the government bureaucracy. The Omaha was a progressive tribe that valued the thoughts and opinions of women. Professor Starita has studied the Omaha and written extensively about them. Susan’s siblings were also trail blazers. Her sister Susette (Bright Eyes) was a famous spokeswoman for the Indian Civil Rights and her brother was the county’s first Native American ethnographer. Susan was the physician for the Omaha tribe but also found time to marry and have children. Susan spoke four languages: English, French, Omaha and Ponca. La Flesche died at age 50 of bone cancer.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. I found the story of La Flesche fascinating. Her courage and determination to help her tribe was inspiring. I found the section about her life on the East coast and medical school most interesting. I enjoy reading about people that broke barriers and overcame enormous odds to achieve their goals. I have come across some interesting author interviews about books that I heard about nowhere else except on the NET book review podcast.
Carrington MacDuffie did an excellent job narrating the book. MacDuffie is a singer/songwriter, voice over artist and a multi-award winning audiobook narrator. ...more
The book is written by a brother sister combo Ross and Kathryn Petras, who say they are word nuts. I have been fascinated with words for a long time bThe book is written by a brother sister combo Ross and Kathryn Petras, who say they are word nuts. I have been fascinated with words for a long time but I have a problem with pronunciation so thought this book might help me. I purchased it as an e-book as no audiobook was available. This book would be great as an audiobook so we could hear the correct pronunciations.
The author uses humor, puns and word play along with a broad knowledge of language history to make the book fascinating. The words are in alphabetical order. The word that surprised me the most as being mispronounced frequently was “anyway”; according to the authors many people say “anyways”. The book will make a good addition to my reference library.
The book is 172 pages and was published on September 13, 2016. I read this using my Kindle app on my iPad.
Hacker has an interesting hypothesis. He wants to change the instruction of mathematics in school. In fact he wants to emphasize arithmetic and have mHacker has an interesting hypothesis. He wants to change the instruction of mathematics in school. In fact he wants to emphasize arithmetic and have mathematics for STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) students. As a person who struggled in arithmetic but excelled in mathematics I find this interesting. Hacker claims math is the cause of many high school and college drop outs. He claims calculus is never used by the majority of people after leaving school.
As a scientist I had some problems with Hacker’s argument. I read the book because on some points I agree with Hacker. I have a problem with his unreferenced claims and he played games with his statistics to make them deliberately misleading. I think Hacker is correct that we should not try to follow the lead of Asia on rote learning. The United States in the 18th and 19th century lead the world with innovative education; we in fact educated all children not just those of the wealthy. We need to sit down and rethink education completely. I agree with Hacker that we need to teach more analytical and strategic thinking, encourage creativity and teach people to think out of the box. Hacker states that with the over emphasis on math we have segregated social science and the humanities to a place of lesser value. I have seen this happen and it needs to be corrected as these fields are of equal value to science, math and engineering. Hacker states we need to include in the regular course work art and music as both also use math and arithmetic skills and teach creativity. Hacker also recommends that arithmetic and math skills be taught to the level and job requirements rather than everyone in high school having to learn trig and calculus. He provides the example of a person unable to enroll in a cosmetology course because she failed algebra in high school.
To me education is providing an introduction of a wide range of topics, information and subjects in a stimulating and exciting way to grab the student’s interest and imagination to want to learn more. If one grabs the attention of a student in a topic so they want to make a career in that field, then that is success. I think more time and money should be spent on educating better math teachers and improving or creating better ways to teach math and arithmetic.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. This book would be more effective if read in book format or download the PDF from audiobook publisher. Barry Press does a good job narrating the book. Press is an actor that also narrates audiobooks. ...more
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