Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989 by Shigeru Mizuki This is the final volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s history of Japan and his personal life during the Showa Era. It mixes events that affected the entire country with stories of his struggles as a man and an artist. As noted in the introduction by… Continue reading Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989
Tag: terrorism
Book Review: Army Wives
Book Review: Army Wives by Midge Gillies Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was requested or offered. The life of a soldier is hard and often dangerous, but the life of a soldier’s spouse has its hardships and hazards… Continue reading Book Review: Army Wives
Anime Review: Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Vol. 03
Anime Review: Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Vol. 03 It is the year 2030, and after the effects of World Wars Three & Four, Japan is relatively unscathed, having become one of the world’s economic and technological powerhouses. In particular, they lead the world in cybernetics, and various cyborg upgrades are commonplace. Of course,… Continue reading Anime Review: Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Vol. 03
Magazine Review: The Blueroad Reader: Stardust and Fate
Magazine Review: The Blueroad Reader: Stardust and Fate edited by John Gaterud Yes, this is yet another literary magazine; I picked up a bunch inexpensively at the book fair. This one seems to take its title from Jack Kerouac’s writing; this first issue was published in 2007. The index is unusual for this kind of… Continue reading Magazine Review: The Blueroad Reader: Stardust and Fate
Book Review: Jewish Noir
Book Review: Jewish Noir edited by Kenneth Wishnia Many of the themes of noir fiction, alienation, hostile society, darkness and bitter endings, resonate with the experience of Jewish people. So it’s not surprising that it was easy to find submissions for an anthology of thirty-plus noir stories with Jewish themes. (Not all of the authors are… Continue reading Book Review: Jewish Noir
Book Review: Herblock at Large
Book Review: Herblock at Large by Herbert Block. Herbert “Herblock” Block (1909-2001) was a multiple-Pulitzer-winning editorial cartoonist. He’s most famous for his coverage of McCarthyism and Watergate, but kept working until just before his death. This 1987 collection covers the early years of the Reagan administration. As might be expected, these cartoons aren’t very kind… Continue reading Book Review: Herblock at Large
Book Review: Air Service Boys over the Rhine
Book Review: Air Service Boys Over the Rhine by Charles Amory Beach In 1916, America was still officially neutral in the matter of the Great War. While many Americans didn’t much like the way Germany was attacking its neighbors, the government felt that it was really none of our business. Still, some Americans felt… Continue reading Book Review: Air Service Boys over the Rhine
Comic Book Review: Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 1
Comic Book Review: Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 1 story by Doug Moench, art by various. Doctor Bruce Banner was one of the nation’s top physicists, and an expert in gamma radiation, when he was drafted into creating a new kind of nuclear weapon called a “gamma bomb.” Just before the device was about to go… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 1
Book Review: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Book Review: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner Economics can be a deadly dull subject, at least when dominated by stuffed shirts talking about trade deficits, returns on annuities or fiat currency. But the basics of economic theory can be used to learn… Continue reading Book Review: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Book Review: What We Won
Book Review: What We Won by Bruce Riedel Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan (1979-1989) was a turning point in history. It was often called the “Russian Vietnam” as the Soviet troops found themselves mired in battle with… Continue reading Book Review: What We Won