The Deftly Paradox

  

Genre: Adult, Science Fiction 

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I love meeting people who have creative minds.  This author definitely has one.  The idea of a society putting all of their faith in decision-making into the hands of a machine is actually terrifying to me.  I say this because a machine begins with man. Even if the artificial intelligence is capable of learning, you know there has to be a glitch at some point. Then we become man vs machine.  As I was growing up we had sci-fi movies that would give scenarios like this and it was never good.  I have to say this book goes above and beyond.  You have two sides of the issue a machine that has decided to wipe out an entire planet and people who believe in this machine. Then you have the side that has taken a step back and decides that the machine doesn’t necessarily know what is best. They will risk everything to stop it. Because of what I am teaching in school right now my mind began to draw parallels. My English 1 class is reading the book “Night” by Elie Wiesel. One question the students kept asking was how people could just blindly follow Hitler?  They also wanted to know why those who knew it was wrong didn’t step up?  It was the same with this book.  People in both cases reached a point where it was easier to blindly follow.  Those who decided to do something, willingly took the risk, knowing what the cost could be.

The characters were well developed.  The worldbuilding was wonderful.  I was there. That is why it seemed so realistic and possible to me.  In this day and age with technology being ramped up the way it has it makes you wonder if we will ever be stupid enough to turn our world over to a machine? Just asking.

I definitely recommend this book to all science fiction lovers.

My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do? by Dr. Jerid Fisher

Genre: Children's Picture Book
Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Jackson and Sally's father is in the military. They live on base. He plays with them and coaches their baseball team. One day dad comes in with his bags packed. He is being deployed.  An accident happens to their dad while he is deployed and injures his brain.  He spends a lot of time in the hospital. The family is so happy when he gets to come home. After a while, they realize their dad has changed. He is short-tempered, distracted and they don't know how to handle it.  They meet with a doctor who helps explain to them what has happened to their father. She also gives them some tips for helping them and their dad.  This is a very important book because there are so many families out there who are suffering from this problem.  This is highly recommended to any family with children to help them understand what has happened to their parent or another relative. This is a most important book. 

30 Red Dresses by Johan Twiss

Genre:  Adult, Realistic Fiction, Thriller

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This was a phenomenal book. The main character is an author. His books don’t sell well in the United States. However, Cambodia can’t seem to get enough of him. While on a book signing tour in Cambodia a natural disaster occurs.  He and his translator Munny trying to survive find themselves in an area they really should not have ventured into. However, this turns out to be a most fortunate occasion for the other main character, eight year old Veata.  She calls  him her giant. When their paths cross, lives will be changed forever.  This book takes you into one side of human trafficking.  The writing was so smooth that I had to keep reading from beginning to end. I was right there fearing for the characters in this book. I found myself reading faster to find a resolution. There were so many things I hoped for.  The ending was very satisfying.  I found myself talking to my students about this book since we have been discussing “causes” and how horrible people can be to each other. I think this would make a wonderful book for high school.  I will not only recommend this book to everyone I meet, I will remember it and its message for a long time. This is one of those stories that just sticks with you.  I absolutely loved it.

Read about the author here.

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