The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd by Richard Zacks
Zacks sympathetic portrayal of Captain Kidd highlights the corruption of early 18th century England, as well as the telling the tale of danger on the high seas. Kidd was commissioned as a privateer, sponsored by some highly-placed nobles in English society and carrying a commission by the king. Privateers, however, occupied a legal gray area. Unlike a military ship, there was no guaranteed pay -- the ship had to take a prize for the crew to get paid. Legal prizes were enemies of state, or pirate vessels. They also did not get prime military seaman to crew the ship -- often, ships were filled with dregs from prisons and other naturally inclined ne'er-do-wells.
Kidd maintained to the end he operated as an honorable privateer, serving his commission. However, He once faced a mutiny by his crew, anxious for a prize when none was forthcoming. In a fit of passion, Kidd clocked the gunnery officer with what became a fatal blow when the gunner encouraged the crew to take an allied Dutch vessel. This would be Kidd's undoing in the end.
The first half of the story details a captain determined to do right, but often facing a dilemma due to the nature of his work. Kidd takes an Arab vessel, which ought to pay off handsomely. Things just don't work out that way, however, and when docked in Puritanical Boston, he is arrested on unspecified charges.
The remainder of the book details Kidd's incarceration, as well as the fate of other rouges associated with Kidd at the time. In the end, Kidd's treasure was inaccessible, and the resulting poverty was the primary reason he could not afford legal council that likely could have exonerated him. As it turned out, perjuring "witnesses" commanded the attention of the jury, and things didn't work out so well for the erstwhile captain. The fact his treasure horde was never found grants Kidd a legacy that endures to this day.
Global Climate Change: The Book of Essential Knowledge by Ernest Zebrowski
As a life-long student of science, I appreciate literature that describes the current state-of-knowledge in concise, easy-to-grasp terms. The subtitle of "Global Climate Change" is "The Book of Essential Knowledge" and in this respect, the author is true to his word. Zebrowski not only describes what we know now, beyond any reasonable doubt, but he also acknowledges the motivations behind detractors and addresses their arguments as well.
Of course, when it comes to using scientific research to combat industry-driven motivation, it's rather like shooting fish in a barrel. The evidence for global climate change really is overwhelming -- the straws the opposition grasps at are just that: straws. The data we have for climate change is really all pretty recent, but we also have managed to accumulate some pretty good estimations of historical climate fluctuations. And what we know is that at present course, we will inflict irrevocable damage on the climate of t he planet: ice caps will melt; coastal communities will cease to exist, and our current "bread baskets" could be rendered into unproductive desert. Has such a thing happened before? Yes, but not under current climatic conditions. Just because Mother Nature screws with the status quo every few hundred thousand years doesn't mean we should throw our arms up and assume this very moment is one of those times. The data available does not indicate this is the case. By curtailing our polluting ways, we could still stave off disaster. But it takes active effort and cooperation; it takes politicians with the nerve and fortitude to stand up to industries that stand to lose and act for the good of both humanity and the planet.
In related events, the decedents of Kidd ultimately did well for themselves once property in New York and Manhattan was restored to his widow. His descendants include governors and senators and one signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Sometimes, bad things happen to not-so-bad people, and this book is testimony to one history's most illustrious examples.
Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver
James Bond, the movie star, might be shelved for unforeseeable future, but he lives again in literature. No, Zombie Ian Fleming didn't crack out a posthumous volume. Veteran suspense writer Jeffery Deaver takes up the mantle with another tail featuring our favorite secret agent.
Bond movies are pretty formulaic, and Deavers' book follows suit. Smart, powerful villains, impossible situations, and goofy gadgets are all here. This James Bond seems based on the hardened, terse Daniel Craig version. A combat veteran of Afghanistan, we find out a little more about his past, particularly his parents. This is the sort of content you just won't get in a movie -- it doesn't really promote the action, but it does flesh out the character.
Also to the formula the book ends with an unexpected twist. Is a twist unexpected if you expect it to be there? Hmm. In any case, Deaver executes it in style, and the book had a satisfying, entertaining end.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
The author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies sticks with his undead theme. Well-researched, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter takes our most illustrious of presidents and adds more than a bit of Buffy to his resume. Grahame is adept enough to include all that is well known about our 16th President, but fills in the gaps with tales of his private life as a dispatcher of undead.
It all starts when young Abe witnesses his mother's early death. Later, he comes to find it was caused by a vampire, and Abe strives to learn all he could about the creatures who deprived him of his beloved mother. The result is a tortured life often compared with that of Job -- his resolve to do good is tested time and again by personal tragedy.
Grahme weaves fact and fantasy masterfully -- sure, the premise is absurd, but he never lets on for a moment that he thinks so. In the end, if the United States was suffering from a 19th Century vampire infestation, it would be quite plausible that our greatest President was intimately involved in their demise. And what better setup for a fantasy novel?
50/50 Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days by Dean Karnazes
In 2006, ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes realized a goal that had been simmering in his mind for a number of years: to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. Originally conceived as an epic family excursion, the realities of pulling it off amidst other family member's obligations made it seem unlikely to ever bear out. When outdoor outfitter The North Face stepped up with a sponsorship offer, suddenly the unlikely was not only possible, but would have the resources needed to pull it off.
50/50 not only contains anecdotes from the more than 7 week journey, but also is loaded with tips useful for runners of all abilities. Most of us will never have Karnazes'
freakish ability to run all day, then do it again the next, and again the day after...etc. Dean was both inspiring and inspired by the people he encountered along the way -- countless individuals who planned to run for just a half and wound up keeping pace to go far beyond what they thought possible. Karnazes rents himself out as a motivational speaker, and while he questions the dubious effect one can have on another if the passion is not already there, he does have a flair for tapping into deep-seated ambition and bringing it to the surface where it can do some good.
Dean Karnases is my exact age, so I am definitely not over-the-hill when it comes to setting new athletic milestones. Running a full marathon has been kicking around the back of my brain, kept there by the simple fact I do not love running like Karnazes does. As far as challenges go, however, it is an attainable one: I've run many half-marathons and occasionally train beyond that distance. The next step I suppose to just sign up and do it. And next year, I think I will.
Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick
I'm a career IT guy, so I'm somewhat familiar with the sort of characters that engage in the pursuit of computer hacking. The name Kevin Mitnick was somewhat familiar, but before reading this book I probably couldn't have told you why. These days, we associate hacking with things such as identity and credit card theft, all very bad things. Mitnick, however, got his start before the days of ubiquitous internet access -- when computers were still the domain of large corporations and universities.
Mitnick's tale is utterly amazing -- more thrilling than any fictional novel on the same subject. First and foremost, it's a primer on social engineering. Mitnick wasn't just a technical genius -- he could think quickly on his feet and effortlessly convince others that he was who he claimed to be, usually an employee entitled to privileged information that he requested. Unlike highly publicized break-ins and thefts of today, Mitnick wasn't doing it to reap millions -- aside from cloning some cell phone numbers, he didn't profit at all from his activities. But the mere fact he could compromise the phone company as well as major software developers such as Novell and DEC, Mitnick made himself a target of FBI scrutiny in an era where displaying such technical wizardry evoked fear and loathing from those who had little understanding of technology or the implications of his actions.
Mitnick's refusal to play within the system brought him much heartache -- he spent years on the run as a wanted fugitive. However, in spite of bad things happening, he could not refrain from the thrill of hacking. He turned his talents against the FBI pursuit, obtaining emails and voice mails from snitches and compromised acquaintances. Time and again, he learns there is no honor among thieves -- others also engaging in hacking are less brethren than they are people willing to throw him under a bus to get their way.
I suppose Mitnick's tale has a happy ending. He spent a lot of time in prison -- much of it in solitary confinement because the government believed he could wreak untold havoc merely by touching a phone. Today, however, he is a coveted consultant in the business of "ethical hacking;" hired by companies to help expose their own security flaws. He also has written several best-selling books and received a rock star treatment on his book tours.
If Mitnick would have made through a proper education program (much of his knowledge was self-taught), he likely would have had less notoriety but could possibly have made a name for himself among the technical giants of the computer industry. His story was both amazing and unnecessary -- it's a shame he couldn't find his way sooner. However, his misfortune is our gain in terms of the thoroughly entertaining story that is the life of Kevin Mitnick.