reviews

Science by Popular Opinion... Author:  Richard Dawkins The Alabama Insert reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Jim Hightower – a populist political writer from Texas – who opined that “the middle of the road is for yellow lines and dead armadillos”.  In 1996, the Alabama State Board of Education – an entity made up of eight elected officials and the governor – mandated that a special statement on evolution be pasted in all state-approved biology textbooks.   This statement, attempting to appear moderate by using plenty of “fair and balanced” verbiage, casts doubt on the concept of [...]

Deadly Business... Author:  Robert Kolker Sex sells.  The delivery methods and technology involved may change, but it seems unlikely that anyone ever lost much money betting on this eternal concept.  Unfortunately, in the United States, with its history of deep puritanical and religious roots, human sexuality and everything that goes with it continues to be consistently suppressed, stifled or ignored with frequent nasty consequences.   Some examples were recently uncovered in a suburb of New York City, when the bodies of five prostitutes were found in the brambles along the ocean shore in Oak Beach, NY in 2011 and 2012.   Award [...]

Go Northwest, Old Man... Author:  Philip Caputo Concision is an under appreciated art form.  Authors may have much to say, but whittling content down to a digestible size while retaining the essential morsels is not easy.  I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you.  Travel writing may be a particularly challenging example, although in the hands of a master it can look easy.  Somehow, in The Longest Road, author and journalist Philip Caputo pares the story of his ambitious 16,000 mile road trip down to a manageable and entertaining size, easily held in one hand. In 2011, getting [...]