The last surviving member of 617 squadron more commonly known as the dambusters. A great and enjoyable journal that reads like a boys own adventure :)

 

 

 

I’m not entirely sure how to rate this book. The text is incredibly short: about the length of a magazine article. The takeaways are even shorter; much of that short text is a parable about a young man learning the ways of the one-minute manager. That said, I got this book from the library so I’m inclined to be generous regarding the amount of actual content, and there is something to be said for expanding on a simple idea at a little more length in order to fix it in readers’ minds. The takeaways are basically this: Goals: Employees need to know what their goals in their positions are, so that they can figure out for themselves whether or not they’re succeeding without having to wait for infrequent performance reviews. The manager and employee should figure out together the employee’s goals, which should be written down with timelines in a short form that’s easy for the employee to review regularly. (I’m having trouble figuring out how to implement this one in my workplace due to the nature of our work.) Praising: Managers should try to “catch people doing something right” and offer specific praise when they see it to make employees feel good about themselves. People with confidence and who like their jobs do better work, so focusing on people and focusing on results shouldn’t be a choice between two different goals. Also, you shouldn’t wait until people are doing something perfectly before praising them any more than you’d wait until a kid has learned to talk before praising their attempts. (I need to work on this but at least the how-to is obvious.) Redirects: When people do something wrong, the authors suggest that you discuss it with the person as soon as possible; confirm the facts and review the mistake together; tell the employee how you feel about the mistake and pause for a moment for them to be concerned; and then express that you know their work is better than this, have confidence in them and think well of them as a person. Then, let it go. (All this seems challenging to do, but probably a good idea. I haven’t tried it yet.) Overall this seems to me to pack some good advice that goes beyond what you’d expect from the brief page count, though yeah, it is really short. Hopefully I’ll be able to figure out how to use it.

What to say about this novel? Besides the fact that everyone should read it?

Based on a true story (more than one), this novel relates the work of an African-American reporter who is able to pass as white, allowing him to go undercover at lynchings. Johnson deals deftly with the issue. What moves the story is the relationship between the various characters. Pleece's artwork is a good match to the story. The use of black and white illustration is far more effective and powerful than color.

Zane and Carl's relationship lies at the central of the novel as does the relationship (if that is the correct word) between the races in the South. Some critics have pointed out that one subplot of the book could have used more attention, and perhaps there is some truth to that, but I don't see how that could have been done in the space and structure of the story. Perhaps Carl's story is a bit predictable, but both his character and Zane act like real people (as does everyone in the comic).

The ending is both moving and great.

 

 

Renaissance, though published later, is a prequel.  It deals with passing and cultural theft.  While it might lack the emotional impact of the first book, it does address heavy issues and does it well.  It also focuses on the question of a woman in the times to a far greater degree than the first book.   

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle The remarkable story of Clara Luper, an inspirational woman who took action through teaching, demonstrating, fighting for rights, and instilling the value to do the same in others. This book details some of Luper's work, told simply and elegantly. Growing up, I remember not really liking non-fiction picture books, however this one was well done. While it is a bit wordy, the story is simplified for young audiences, explained well, and told in an entertaining and inspiring way. Because of its length, it is best suited for older children. Great incorporation of the steps of nonviolence and showing how change can be brought about through action. I also liked that the hardships of such action were included. The book shows people throwing food at the characters and the narration mentions people yelling at them and "spit[ting] ugliness and hate". The violence was presented in a way suitable for children without ignoring it. I think it is crucial to including the push back against such demonstrations when teaching children about fighting for change. At the end of the book is a "More about Clara Luper" section, which includes additional information, quotes, and photographs. A good book to teach children about nonviolence, segregation, and fighting for rights as well as getting them interested in history and historical figures. A great non-fiction picture book.

In 'Hell Is Empty' Craig Johnson has attempted something very ambitious and done it pretty well but I hope he doesn't feel the need to do it again.

 

Unlike its predecessors, 'Hell Is Empty' doesn't have a mystery at its heart. We know from the beginning who the bad guys are, even if we don't know exactly why they're doing what they're doing. The FBI have, for various plausible reasons that they'll kick themselves for later, transported some very bad men into the Wyoming mountains just before a major ice storm (Hey, it's May, what did you expect at that altitude?). Of course, things go wrong, people die and the rest of the book is about Walt's relentless, lone pursuit of the men up the mountain in the storm.

 

At the beginning, this reads like a relatively normal hunt-the-bad-guys plot, with Walt at the centre bringing his unique mix of dry wit, erudite commentary, dogged determination and decisive action to the chase.

 

Then, as Walt gets tired, the altitude climbs and the weather gets worse, we move into something that feels more like a Vision Quest. It's not clear whether Walt is being guided by a real person (a character we met in a previous book) or by a spirit guide appearing as that person or whether Walt is just hallucinating as his refusal to give up bumps into the physical effects of hypothermia.

 

I think Craig Johnson does a splendid job of walking this is it real or isn't it line while keeping the tension high, the action constant and still finding time for to share Walt's reflections on Dante's 'inferno' and the idea that the worst hell is in the mind and Walt's deep understanding of how a monster like the man he is chasing is created and the terrible harm that he does.

 

The final scene at the top of the mountain is beautifully done. It's dramatic, visually stunning and works as a conclusion to both the mystical and the material explanations of Walt's quest.

 

The epilogue was also very distinctive. It went beyond the 'let's wrap up the loose ends and finish on a positive note' scope of the traditional epilogue and showed that Walt can't just shrug off his experience and step back into his old life. That rang true to me and I admired it.

 

BUT...

 

Although I could see that this was both a bold book to write and that it was well written, it wasn't as much fun as usual. Walt's head is a fascinating place to visit but an exhausting place to live in. In the books so far, Walt has been supported by a cast of interesting characters who aid or obstruct him in solving mysteries and bringing the bad guys to justice. In 'Hell Is Empty' we have nearly half a book that is Walt all the time and I found it tiring.

 

So, I'm hoping book eight, 'As The Crow Flies' brings me back to more familiar, less ambitious territory that's easier for me to enjoy.

 

Still, I recognise that, as is the way with Spirit Quests, the Walt who came down the mountain is not the same Walt who went up it and I'm intrigued to see how that change will manifest in future stories.