Steve E.'s Summer Book Reviews

It's been a very productive reading summer for me so far. Here are the reviews of the books I've read this summer, in priority order of enjoyment.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Have you always wanted to read a book about dead bodies? I didn't know that I did, but I found this book very entertaining. Be warned, it's not for the squeamish. The first chapter opens up with plastic surgeons practicing face lifts on dead people. That may not sound that bad, but you should be aware that the whole body is not needed for this practice. This may seem paradoxical, but the author writes in a very funny and witty style, but maintains respect for the dead bodies. I also enjoyed her visit to Wayne State University, where researches were doing crash tests with cadavers. At one point, the author finds herself sitting alone with a cadaver, who was slouching in the chair. She writes very poignaintly about what it's like to hang out with this dead body. Here's an excerpt:
"By and large, the dead aren't very talented. They can't play water polo, or lace up their boots, or maximize market share. The can't tell a joke, and they can't dance for beans. This is one thing that dead people excel at. They're very good at handling pain."

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors. For example, I highly recommend A Walk in the Woods. In "A Short History", Bryson covers nearly every aspect of science, from the Big Bang, black holes, geology, and evolution. It was great learning how scientists first measured the Earth's weight. It was even more enjoyable reading about the scientists, who were often quite wacky.

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer.
This book is really three stories, weaved into one book. A history of the Mormon religion, a survey of Mormon Fundamentalists, and a true crime story about two fundamentalist Mormon brothers who are told by God to kill their sister-in-law and infant daughter. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion, got his start as a diviner, a seeker of buried treasure using his magic stone. One night an angel appeared to tell Joseph Smith where to find buried gold plates with sacred text. Smith eventually dug up the plates and translated the text by using some magical glasses and his trusty magic stone. Things got a bit more controversial when for Smith and the Mormons when God commanded them to take on multiple wives. Eventually the mainline religion disavowed polygamy, but the fundamentalist splinter groups follow this command to this very day. An exellent book because I learned about the history of the Mormons, pondered over questions about the brothers' murder trial, such as where's the line when religious faith crosses over into insanity? I also highly recommend Krakauer's other books, Into Thin Air and Into the Wild.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Dale, Sharon, and I read the first four books and we read this one too. Fun summer reading. I wish Harry wasn't such a grump in it though. And for a fee, I'll tell you who dies...

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
I liked it. Probably only interesting to big baseball fans, particularly Oakland A's fans. The story of how Billy Beane, the Oakland A's general manager, built a powerhouse team on a low budget, by going against conventional baseball wisdom. Now only if they could win the World Series!

Prey by Michael Crichton
It's unclear why I bought this book. Perhaps the low price at Costco attracted my attention. OK reading if you have nothing else to read. I still remember Tim's review his previous book, The Lost World. Tim said it seemed like Crichton wrote it in a weekend. I think with Prey, he probably took at least a week. What's more interesting than the book however is the fact that Tim and I both were convinced for a while that Michael Crichton was dead. All indications are that in fact he is very much alive. With that said, I still have a recollection that he's seven feet tall.