4 posts tagged “nonfiction”
The biography of The Quander Quality: The True Story of a Black Trailblazing Diabetic is co-aut
hored by the father and son team of James W. Quander and Rohulamin Quander. The significant story engages the reader in late life of James W. Quander (1918-2004) who was diagnosed with Juvenile diabetes shortly before his sixth birthday. He was also told by his physicians that he would live past ten.
His story is an inspiring tale of a human being put to the test on many levels. Medically, emotionally, physically, politically, and spiritually Quander met all challenges. With each new restriction or limitation he became more resourceful and more confident.At his time, insulin was new as were other forms of treatments for diabetes. Upon his parents’ advice, he kept his illness under wraps and called it the “big secret” for the next six decades. He lived a life of strict discipline, medical regiment, exercise, and mental determination. Even when he faced severe adversity such as racial discrimination, he persevered. The biography depicts Quander’s journey through life both personally and professionally.
He earned his doctorate degree in Economics and Statistics, worked for the Federal Government, and spent the lateral part of his life as a Catholic Deacon. Quander always needed to keep active.
James waited his 86th year to write his story with good reason. Some stories require time to flourish. Or seasons that need to pass before they can be remembered to their fullest. James W. Quander’s story is such a life.
I look forward to Rohulamin Quander’s next work documenting his distinguished family history from 1684.
Diet for a Dead Planet
Christopher D. Cook
The New Press
ISBN: 978-1-59558-084-9 $13.10
Christopher D. Cook’s latest book Diet for a Dead Planet offers the American public with a wake up call view of the food industry today. As an investigative journalist, he gives a complete overview of the socioeconomic and political ills facing food production. He begins the supermarkets and ends with the global agricultural market.
Cook inspects the multifaceted complexities which have arisen due to cheap labor, often exploited and without healthcare. He also depicts the plight of migrant workers, processed food, and pesticides manipulatively spread over crops with the able assistance of government subsidies. The findings are thorough, compelling, and difficult to ingest at times. However, they are warranted as he introduces authorities to backup his claims.
The statistics Cook presents are real, yet harsh. Yearly, 75 million Americans are sickened by the food they eat, while an estimated 67 million birds are killed by the millions of pounds of toxic agricultural pesticides sprayed on crops. Meanwhile, farmers that remain take home only about 19 cents per food dollar spent by the average consumer (this is in comparison to 37 cents in 1980 and 47 cents in 1952) according to Cook.
Cook closely examines every branch of the food industry. In doing so, he reaches a necessary reason for change. The socioeconomic, environmental, and political injustices currently practiced weigh heavily on ’s well being. Within each chapter, he goes into great detail explaining, expanding, and scoping the historical difficulties and how they adversely impact today’s food industry. Beyond that conclusion, Cook explains that unless a new solution, specifically changing how food is “made”, Americans will continue to spiral downward.
Cook clearly maps out the issues beleaguering and tormenting many workers in the food industry from farmers, supermarket employees to higher up executives. All problems such as exploited migrant workers, sickened Americans, corporate control, and government subsidies carry negative consequences for the future if nothing is done soon. In Cook’s last chapter, he outlines a solution which focuses on changing the role of the food industry in the future. This book is powerful in its own right. However, more pages need to be devoted to envisioning that solution than one final chapter. I hope to see more works from Christopher Cook. I recommend this book as a read for anyone who eats. This is also a book for anyone who wants to learn the truth about a topic in urgent need of active change and tired of complacency.
In our contemporary age, many perceive American society as male-dominated and view women as traditionally submissive, less likely to succeed, and lacking certain abilities depending on the subject or topic in question. At least that is what conventional wisdom dictates for the adolescent girls growing up in America. In his latest book, Alpha Girls Dan Kindlon challenges traditional views and amasses new evidence that proves the opposite to be true.
In fact, Kindlon writes passionately about the need to define who “alpha girls” are, what characteristics set them apart from other non-alpha girls, and how they compare to boys. His findings include commissioned studies, interviews, and graphs. He studies self-esteem levels, college degrees earned (BAs, MAs, and PhDs), attitudes about education, careers, and relationships. His evidence is fascinating because today’s girls perceive their lives as filled with opportunities, not the restrictions that once hindered many women a generation before.
Alpha Girls are a newly defined phenomenon that is quickly sweeping the nation. Kindlon speaks well of this growing positive change. He embraces these girls as a beautiful tapestry of mentally, emotionally, and physically determined group that encompasses various abilities to accomplish anything they desire.
As the best-selling author of Raising Cain, Kindlon again comes to his audience with another intriguing study of questioning the gender perceptions of today’s female adolescence. His writing is quick, concise, and stimulating. The young women, now known as alpha girls, are sure to play increasingly key roles in changing the world’s landscape.
reviewed by: Mona Lisa Safai
Are There Any Good Jobs Left?: Career Management in the Age of the Disposable Worker
R. William Holland
Praeger
ISBN: 0-275-99044-3, $34.95, pp. 161
In our global community, many individuals experience career transition either by choice or more frequently these days by forced layoffs, downsizing, outsourcing, off shoring, and the ever increasing emergence of international economies such as and . What many individuals are beginning to feel for the first time is the impermanence of their employment and livelihood. In Are There Any Good Jobs Left?: Career Management in the Age of the Disposable Worker, Holland purposefully writes his book and explains “why” Americans have reached this point and how each individual can creatively succeed in each given situation.
His book is written two parts. The first is a background beginning with the 1940s and how WWII eventually impacted corporate . He focuses on white-collar positions from receptionists to presidents of huge companies. With the global economy expanding at a rapid pace, many individuals who thought they would have job security for a lifetime, were faced with “pink slips” and faced with having to relocate. He chronicles historical precedents on race and gender. By identifying how their roles continue to change in the workplace, he also alerts readers to pressing issues unsolved in the regarding minorities in the workforce.
The second part is a practical guide to career and job placement. He focuses on resumes, networking, interviews, negotiating, and concludes with a case study. offers suggestions and many resources about career transition. ’s book is a contextually enriching asset for many who find themselves in need of valuable career information.
Reviewed by: Mona Lisa Safai
