Living and Dying and Telling the Tale

It seems disingenuous to complain that a book written by a doctor - an emergency physician, no less - could've been a little better, but here I am.

Sampson Davis, a native of one of New Jersey's toughest neighborhoods, beats the odds and not only avoids drugs, prison (barely), and poverty, he graduates from medical school. Instead of getting out of the neighborhood, though, Davis did his residency (plus a few years) in the hospital emergency room where many of his friends and neighbors arrive - on stretchers.

Davis's story, Living and Dying in Brick City, is gripping, and told as it is in autobiographical vignettes, it could be very instructive to high school and college students who are struggling to make good in a bad situation - any situation, but particularly those who are aiming for a career in the medical profession.

Unfortunately, the narrative wasn't as captivating as the story itself.  I certainly admire Sampson for the work he has done and is still doing, and I really, really wanted to love the book as much as I love the author's philosophy. I just wish Living and Dying has received a little more TLC in the editing room.
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Have you read any of Sampson's other nonfiction tales? If so, I'd love to hear what you thought.

Can you believe what you read?

So far today I've read about Obama's trip to Mars and Newt's suggestion that we pay middle- and high school students to take math and science classes. Before the world ends (on 12/21/12 in case you need to put it on your calendar...wait for it...the last calendar you'll ever need) I'll post a review of a children's book that I received from Candlewick Press (Random House) last year. 

White Water by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, is one of many free review copies I received last year. For the record, I rarely accept them and review them even less often. While it's flattering to be contacted by publishers (and fun to get free books), it becomes something of a pain sometimes, especially - I know this will draw nasty replies - when the books are sent by self-published authors along with such a huge amount of hyperbole in the accompanying press material, it's matched only by the typos and grammatical errors in their books. I understand why many good writers choose to self-publish and self-publishing is certainly gaining (deserved) respect but I stand by my assertion that self-published shouldn't mean self-edited. But I digress.

Back to my point and headline: can you believe what you read here? (It's the only place I have complete editorial control. You're on your own with the Obama-on-Mars thing.) The answer is yes, because when I receive a review copy, I say so somewhere in the review. If I've reviewed a book for another publication - such as The Plain Dealer or Kirkus - I explain that in my reviews on this blog.

If you read much online and reviews in particular, you know that's how it's supposed to be done - and that it's not always. So. Yeah. You can believe what you read here. Next up: my review of White Water, a very interesting book for young kids, about racism. Until then...well, don't believe everything you read, ok?

Listen Up!

Sound Reporting: The NPR guide to audio journalism and production is primarily a textbook, however, I think it also deserves a spot on many readers' 'for pleasure' lists.

As intelligible as anything heard on NPR, Sound Reporting (paperback, $20) is a meaty 334 pages, plus a nice glossary and index. (You know I love a good index!)

Jonathan Kern is listed as the author, however, he's quick to share credit with the "hundreds" of NPR reporters and editors who contributed to the book.

Why read it?

Obviously, reporters/writers/journalists of all kinds and wannabes should dive in and start dog-earring the book immediately. As I said, I sure hope it's required reading in many journalism schools.

I sincerely hope it's also assigned reading in high school English classes - particularly those focused on writing. The book does as good a job as any I've read in teaching us how to WRITE WELL and listen/read (to news and other supposedly factual information) critically.

Not surprisingly, the intro was packed with info, mostly about NPR. I was surprised to find out that NPR listeners, numbering about 22 million (each week) are a very diverse bunch! According to "independent surveys,"

the audience self-identifies as 32 percent liberal, 23 percent moderate, and 29 percent conservative. ... And 28 percent of NPR news listeners agree with this statement: Just as the Bible says, the world literally was created in six days.

So far that's the only statement that had me gasping for air.

The biggest takeaway from the book - I think; I have to admit I haven't finished it yet! - is that good journalism must respect its audience. And I guess that would be the most succinct answer I could give to the question, why do you listen to NPR?

NPR stations, for the most part, don't tease their listeners by withholding the lead; they don't try to entertain or surprise so much as they try to impart information in an interesting way. No more, no less. No gimmicks.

And sadly, they have no serious competition.

For example, I simply cannot imagine any Fox News reporter - or even the uber-popular Anderson Cooper, for that matter - allowing the SUBJECT TO BE THE SUBJECT of this exchange, from an All Things Considered interview shortly after Hurricane Katrina:

Belinda Bruce: I really can't explain it, except just say maybe it was for the best.

Michele Norris (host): For the best.

Bruce: Yes, because I'm more happier when I can stay homeless.

Norris: Help me understand that. You're sitting at a shelter. Your house is most likely underwater. And you're happier here than you were back home.

Bruce: Because there was so much going on in my neighborhood. Even though I was comfortable in my house - in my house- blocks up where the kids went to school, it was horrible. They always had shootouts. They just didn't respect the kids. They were selling drugs. The good thing is I'm away from that with my kids. And maybe they'll get into a better school, a better neighborhood.

Kern included this exchange as an example of writing the way people speak. But it tells us a lot more than how to write for radio, doesn't it?

OK. Here's my completely unbiased review: buy it! This book is excellent! And please, buy it from NPR, where you'll be asked if you want a portion of your purchase to support your local NPR station(s).

Thanks for listening.

Brain Fade

I gave up on The New Feminine Brain. The good Dr. Schultz disappointed me by making a substantial chunk of the work - ostensibly a non-fiction self-help book - a running commentary on her own life.

I like the format of nonfiction books that take off with a personal narrative, something that provides a glimpse into the author's first-hand experience with a situation. From the beginning, I thought Dr. Schultz was just going to unusual lengths to prove her understanding of various brain functions.

Unfortunately, her first-hand accounts continued, from her experiences in medical school (which seemed to pop up in every chapter) to her M&M "addiction," to name-dropping, like the three-paragraph explanation of helping Naomi Judd pen her autobiography, with the explanation rather heavily peppered with her own quotes.

I selected the book because I assumed the subtitle, "Developing Your Intuitive Genius," referred to my/the reader's intuition, not the author's. (I guess I'm no genius.)

The book's cover promises readers will "discover your unique brain type and how to use it" and find out "how to use your intuition to improve your physical, emotional, and relationship health." Instead, it actually details the author's discovery of her unique brain type and a variety of her physical, emotion, and relationship problems.

I know how much work it takes to get a book to market; because of that, I really hate to "trash" a book. So, I offer this recommendation: Because the author has ADHD and has spent a lifetime examining brain function (a good bit of it her own) it may be a helpful book for adults with ADHD or parents of older children with ADHD. There. That's the best I can say for it.

What I'd really like to know is, how did this book happen? Schultz has a PhD and an MD following her name; she's no dummy. The publisher - The Free Press - is a division of Simon and Schuster, which presumably employees bright editors. It really ticks me off when the book between the covers isn't at all what's touted on the covers and in press releases. And it can't help sales much, can it?

Sigh.