James' October AudioBooks - Part I

10/9/06 - "Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness" (Pete Early)
Written by a fairly well-know journalist, this book documents the challenges he faced in trying to obtain mental health care for his son, in spite of his son's "blurred wishes." His son has a run-in with the law and our often skewed legal & mental health systems. Interesting subject matter, but a rather dry telling that doesn't really go any where.
Overall ... "Not Bad"


10/14/2006 - "Guns, Germs & Steel" (Jared Diamond)
If you're interested in the evolutionary background of the asian snow peas, or why wild almonds are deadly poisonous, while cultivated ones are not ... go ahead and give this one a read. This evolutionary biologist spans 13,000 years of human history ... sounds interesting, I know. It wasn't.
Overall ... "I really wouldn't bother."


10/17/06 - "The Odyssey" (Homer)
I downloaded this classic because Brandon is reading it for English. We've had a couple intelligent dinner-time conversations centered around his previous night's readings. Pretty cool. I have to admit, I dreaded getting through this classic piece, but was pleasantly surprised after finishing this one. It's been a LONG time since I read "The Odyssey" in High School!
Overall ... "Definitely worth listening to again! A great way to re-discover the classics of literature."