Review of "Breaking the Sound Barrier" by Amy Goodman

Review written by Joy Boothe

 “Each person is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts.”

- Amy Goodman

In Goodman’s latest book, an anthology of reports from “Democracy Now!” she sticks to the facts whether reporting on climate change, Wall Street bailouts, public healthcare vs private insurance companies or anything else in between.  Goodman gives us information that at times we may wish we didn’t know, but need to know if we are to make informed decisions about the issues of our day. Goodman’s reporting does not rely on propaganda, ties to special interest groups or rhetoric. She is a truth teller. “It is,” she has said, “the responsibility of journalists to go where the silence is, to seek out news and people who are ignored, to accurately and clearly report on the issues…issues that the corporate, for profit media often distort, if they cover them at all. 

 A New York Times bestselling author, journalist and reporter, Goodman has won dozens of awards including the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.

I double dog dare you to read this book.  Investigative journalism at its best…hard hitting with no holds barred.

 

 

A Double Review of "Across the Universe" & "A Million Suns" by Beth Revis
Review written by M. Shelly

What will the future look like when we are capable of space-travel?  For one Earth-born teenager Amy, it means being held in a cryogenic sleep for 300 years while traveling across the universe to a new and habitable planet.

Ever wonder who is running the ship during all those long years? The adventure begins as Amy wakes up and finds herself nowhere near the destination. The only other teenager on board the spaceship is Elder, captain in training.

This teenage-duo soon become detectives in solving mysteries of murder, mayhem, engine problems, and hidden stairways. As they dig deeper into the secrets of the spaceship, they also discover a loving friendship.  It is a very fast paced book; adults and children will both enjoy it.

Each chapter is written from either Amy’s or Elder’s perspective. Their voices are distinct and easily identified.  My only grievance was when I got to the end of the second book and realized that the third book, Shades of Earth, was not going to be released until January of 2013!                                                  

Review of "Jesse" by Joy Boothe

Review written by Kathleen Turczyn


Jesse

A short story by Joy Boothe

Published in The Great Smokies Review, Issue 6, Spring 2012

Jesse tells the story of how Joy Boothe came to name her first son.  It takes place over the course of 22 years, the narration moving seamlessly from a 5-year-old’s simple approach to the world to the frame of reference of a complex, intelligent 27-year-old.  The story begins with her enmity towards the name Jesse, because it belongs to Boothe’s angry, emotionally damaged great uncle; it ends with a wild love of it, because of her father’s friend Jesse, an epitome of humanity.  In between the two is an intense account that includes alcoholism, suicide, racism and hate, kindness, passion, murder, acceptance, friendship and love.

As with all of Boothe’s stories, Jesse grabs you by the neck and doesn’t let go. The approach is direct, without artifice. The story is told with a lack of sentiment that gives it a surprisingly hard punch.  Joy doesn’t waste one word; each propels the story forward with vivid imagery.  Instead of saying “It’s hot,” Joy writes, “The road is buckling in the sun, and tar is sticking to the bottoms of my feet.” You’re there with her.

Jesse is packed tightly into a perfect box, yanking you through Boothe’s world breathless, shocked, grateful, released at the end.