Nobody's Girl, Virginia Roberts Giuffre

 

Nobody's Girl:  A memoir of surviving abuse and fighting for justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre.  I really do not have the stomach for what I am sure is in this book.  My sister, however, is very important to me and I will read this because she has asked.  Amy Wallace appears to be a ghost co-author.

Started: December 22, 2025
Completed: December 28, 2025
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Media: Audio
Recommended By: The older of my sisters

Review:

Honestly, this book is not as graphic as I thought it would be.  If, however, you have been abused yourself, there must be thousands of triggers, so be careful.  Giuffre did a good job of making clear the scale and broad nature of her abuse without describing any particular abuse in graphic detail.  Her most frequent reference was to "servicing" people (though the details of what that entailed surely differed from occasion to occasion, this book provides details far more about how Giuffre felt before, occasionally during, and generally after).  This is not an easy read, but surely nobody who reads a book about surviving abuse can expect an easy read.  Sexual slavery is also unpleasant even as a concept.  For those who can, this is a book worth reading.  It is important to have the context of Giuffre's experience to understand what happened to her and why continuing to fight for justice for her and her sister survivors is terribly important.

How To Lose Your Mother, Molly Jong-Fast

 

How To Lose Your Mother:  A daughter's memoir by Molly Jong-Fast

Started: July 1, 2025
Completed: July 3, 2025
Recommendation: Mild Recommendation
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

Jong-Fast does not think much of herself as a daughter.  Or her mother as a mother.  Or her step-father as a father (though she does give him some credit).  She seems to feel that her father, especially now, has stepped up somewhat.  A child who wanted for nothing, self-described as obnoxious, was reared largely by a nanny with occasional swoop-ins from the parental figures around her.  She fought a battle with drug abuse (alcoholism apparently being the worst of it) and is now sober.  Her mother much less.  Her mother is not dead at the time of the book's writing (nor now as I write this), but she has dementia which has become increasingly intense.  This book pivots around Jong-Fast's realization that she is never going to be able to fix her relationship with her mother and, ironically, she is required to care for a mother who did not provide personal care for her in largely the same way (by hiring help).  Meanwhile, in what can only be described as a year from hell, Jong-Fast deals with deaths in her family and her husband's very serious bout with cancer.  It is a lot.  Jong-Fast reads the book and I find her voice grating...I may have gotten more from it if it didn't seem like she was whining at me the whole book.  Maybe not.

Patriot, Alexei Navalny

 

Patriot: A memoir by Alexei Navalny

Started: May 16, 2025
Completed: May 22, 2025
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Presidents, etc.

Review:

This is a brutally sad book.  Of course, you know before starting that Navalny died in prison and was almost certainly poisoned (a 45 year old who survived and recovered from a hunger strike as well as prior poisonings does not die easily).  You know that he was a person who dedicated his life to Russia and struggled to bring to the light the corrupt practices of the members of Putin's entourage.  You probably assumed, but didn't have hard proof that he was a loving husband and father.  You likely didn't know that he was a Christian.  Odds are good that you didn't know anything about his "prison Zen."  What an incredible man and what a horrible loss to the Russian people.  Recommended, but know that this is a very sad book.

Question 7, Richard Flanagan

 

Question 7, Richard Flanagan

Started: December 30, 2024
Completed: January 2, 2025
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: I cannot remember

Review:

This was an odd book in many ways.  The most striking thing was the odd use of tense which handled both being dead and being alive.  It was difficult to pick up on unsaid, but implied Australian/Tasmanian understandings.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens, Ina Garten

 

Be Ready When the Luck Happens:  A Memoir by Ina Garten

Started: 12/24/2024
Completed: 12/26/2024
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: My wife, I used to watch her cooking shows, The Barefoot Contessa

Review:

To a certain extent, this is lifestyles of the rich and famous.  Once you have built your second home or purchased an apartment in Paris so that you can rehab it, you have jumped into the rich.  Selling a bunch of cooking books and/or having your own cooking show probably puts you into the famous.  It wasn't always this way, but Ina's dad seemed to give her some background in real estate.  Her husband, Jefferey, was part of Lehman Brothers and then Yale.  So, young couple makes good, yes.  They had a pretty good start (taking time to wander France in their youth and both both attended very good colleges).  They had the money to invest in businesses and invested wisely most of the time.  Good for them!  A bit hard to relate, though.

The Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda

 

The Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda

Started: 11/5/2023
Completed: 10/19/2024
Recommendation: mild recommendation
Recommended By: A coworker, Srini

Words for which I sought help:

caravanserai -- a group of people travelling together

cataleptical -- affected by a characteristic of catalepsy

chiaroscuro -- an effect of contrasted light and color

circumambient -- surrounding

clabber -- curdle or cause to curdle

clavis -- a pair of hardwood sticks used to make a hollow sound when struck together

delectation -- pleasure and delight

effulgence -- full of bright radiance

empyrean -- relating to heaven or the sky

halcyon -- denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful

illimitable -- without limits or end

inutile -- useless; pointless

irrefragable -- not able to be refuted or disproved

Kali -- the most terrifying goddess wife of Shiva, often identified with Durga and in her benevolent aspect with Parvati.  She is typically depicted as dark-skinned, naked, old, and hideous

laconic -- using very few words

landau -- a horse-drawn four-wheeled enclosed carriage with a removable front cover and a back cover that can be raised and lowered

lugubrious -- looking or sounding sad and dismal

martinet -- a person who demands complete obedience; a strict disciplinarian

maya -- the supernatural power wielded by gods and demons

pauciloquy -- economical speech; the use of few words when speaking; laconism

perspicacious -- having a ready insight into and understanding of things

prolixity -- the act of using too many words to convey a point, making it difficult to understand

proselyter -- a person who converts others from one opinion, religion, or party to another

puissant -- having great power or influence

quiddity -- the inherent nature or essence of someone or something

refulgent -- shining very brightly

sepulchral -- relating to a tomb or interment

supernal -- of exceptional quality or extent

umbrageous -- providing shade

unction -- the action of anointing someone with oil or ointment as a religious rite or as a symbol of investiture as a monarch

vatic -- describing or predicting what will happen in the future

veracious -- speaking or representing the truth

verity -- a true principle or belief, especially one of fundamental importance

Review:

It is challenging to accept this book on face value.  The idea of people materializing here and there (sort of a religious Star Trek) is exceedingly hard to believe, but is a fundamental component of this book.  This book, like other books about saints, is full of miracles that strain the imagination.  I guess I am just a skeptic.

Lovely One, Ketanji Brown Jackson

 

Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson

Started: September 26, 2024
Completed: October 5, 2024
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

I thought that this book might be interesting, but since it is written basically before Jackson had begun work on the Supreme Court, I was expecting an autobiography rather than an analysis of thinking.  In that sense, I was correct as this book covered her personal life (with occasional professional interludes) up to becoming a Supreme Court Justice.  All very interesting and I felt like I learned a lot about the newest Justice.

Say More, Jen Psaki

 

Say More:  Lessons from work, the white house, and the world by Jen Psaki

Started: August 16, 2024
Completed: August 18, 2024
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody, I really enjoyed her press conferences

Review:

Psaki was such a breath of fresh air in the White House briefing room, I simply cannot describe how important her appearance there was.  In addition, her deft handling of Steve Doocy was wonderful.  I was so very impressed that when I read she had a book coming, I immediately put in for it at the library (after about 45 other people had already had the same idea).  Her quick little book is approachable and focuses on communications strategy using vignettes from her time at the white house, state department, and home.  I enjoyed it though I have no plans to become an interviewer or do press relations. 

The Worlds I see, Dr. Fei-Fei Li

The Worlds I See: Curiosity, exploration, and discovery at the dawn of AI by Dr. Fei-Fei Li

Started: July 10, 2025
Completed: July 14, 2025
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

It is interesting to see how people perceive themselves and, for me, it is particularly interesting to hear how scientists see themselves.  Dr. Li is a compelling figure on her own, but the coincidence of her career with the most recent explosion in computer technology is interesting.  I particularly enjoyed her view of the future.  It was very interesting the stark difference between Dr. Li’s appearance before congress (addressing the ethical risks of AI) and Dr. Ford’s appearance (addressing the ethical risks of the judiciary itself).  It feels like Dr. Li is still naive about the risks of AI, but seeing where her thinking has been and where it is going is exceedingly compelling.

One Way Back, Christine Blasey Ford

 

One Way Back:  A memoir by Christine Blasey Ford

Started: April 13, 2024
Completed: April 17, 2024
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

She is telling the truth.  Judge would have jumped on the bed and precious few others would have done something like that.  It is a detail that nobody would think to make up.  That detail alone (as if the rest did not suffice) was sufficient to make it clear that she was telling the truth.  I respect and admire her.  I would do all the interviews again.

Standing My Ground, Harry Dunn

 

Standing My Ground:  A Capitol police officer's fight for accountability and good trouble after January 6th by Harry Dunn

Started:  January 14, 2024

Completed: January 15, 2024

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Recommended By: My Wife

Review:

Mr. Dunn might be a little angry.  His experience on January 6th was brutal.  His anger at seeing Americans behaving badly in the name of patriotism is not shocking.  His visceral experience of January 6th and his desire to make it clear that the behavior on that day was neither patriotic nor peaceful is well described.

Bad Lawyer, Anna Dorn

Bad Lawyer:  A memoir of law and disorder by Anna Dorn

Started: 10/9/2022
Completed: 10/10/2022
Recommendation: Not Recommended
Recommended By: Cannot Remember

Review:

This book literally left a bad taste in my mouth.  Dorn mostly sucks.  She sleeps around, takes drugs, and parties on her parents' dime.  At the time of writing this memoir, she is still behaving like a child--she throws tantrums, she ignores the work for which she is being paid as though it is her due, and she is incredibly shallow.  Yeah, she points out some serious problems with the legal profession, but she also participates in actively making those problems worse and then sort of laughs at all of us for paying her to do anything.  She gave me little to like about her and her contrarian attitude (while potentially valuable for a legal career) leaves her spewing at all those around her.  Her friends seem both short term and casual.  I hope she turns things around, finds her passion, and takes a deeper look at those around her.  I have a feeling she has talent and can turn her life into something more than it currently is, but maybe not.  The world has a place for intelligent slackers and she is lazily filling it.

There is Nothing for You Here, Fiona Hill

 

There is Nothing For You Here:  Finding opportunity in the 21st century by Fiona Hill is a book I had to pick up after watching her testimony.

Started: 3/20/2022
Completed: 3/26/2022
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

I did not expect to enjoy this book.  I really enjoyed it.  Part autobiography (memoir?) and part call to arms, this book uses the framework of Hill's life to identify, define, and offer solutions to a wide array of public ills mostly focused on the side-effects of abject poverty.  Hill grew up in Bishop Aukland which is near the town of Fishburn (my ancestral home) and now lives about 20 minutes from me.  There are a variety of other parallels, though I have never reached anything like her level of accomplishment.  I enjoyed this framing of the problems that she identifies and I agree with most, if not all, of her approaches to resolving some societal ills, though it is a huge effort.  This was an excellent book I will not soon forget.

iWoz, Wozniak and Smith

 

iWoz: How I invented the personal computer, co-founded Apple, and had fun doing it by Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith.  I kind of feel like it would be good to know more about this founder of Apple.

Started: 12/11/2021
Completed: 12/11/2021 (Did not finish)
Recommendation:  Not Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

I just could not stand more of this book.  I am no longer interested in this arrogant man.

My Beloved World, Sonia Sotomayor

 

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor is another biography of a justice I cannot ignore.

Started: 7/19/2021
Completed: 7/27/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

I honestly didn't think I would have anything in common with Sonia Sotomayor.  It turns out that I do.  I did not grow up with her financial poverty or rich family life, but I can strongly relate to her experience with forensics.  I was not a minority in any way and have never experienced any form of racism, but I can relate to her feelings of being an outsider.  For those commonalities, we overlap little.  Her story of perseverance and family support is well worth reading and listening to Rita Moreno is hard to beat.

Amoralman, Derek Delgaudio

 

Amoralman: A true story and other lies by Derek Delgaudio.  I'm pretty sure that this review form the New York Times is the reason it is on my list.  Honesty and lies have been something I confronted hard after meeting my wife (I was on the lie side) and I dealt with it by doing my very best to simply be honest.  It seemed interesting to hear how someone else dealt with it.  Oh, and magic.

Started: 7/11/2021
Completed: 7/12/2021
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: New York Times

Review:

Poker.  Magic. Plato's freakin' cave of shadows?!?  What's not to like?

Delgaudio does a good job explaining how his life alone as a child helped him develop the skills to be a crooked poker dealer which lead to an existential experience of Plato's cave of shadows with himself cast as the puppeteer.  This is not a huge a book, but it packs a lot into a small space.  His relationship with another crooked dealer sort of provides a framework and a cautionary tale all in one.  This book does not really deal with honesty and lies the way I had hoped, but it does peek into honesty from the darkness of lies and one hopes that Delgaudio goes on to expand that opening and be birthed into a better life.

This Is What America Looks Like, Ilhan Omar

 

This Is What America Looks Like: My journey from refugee to congresswoman by Ilhan Omar is a book about a member of The Squad and I had to pick it up.  Special ordered it from a local brick and mortar book store and it jumped up in my list if things to read because she is so important to America.

Started: 2/13/2021
Completed: 2/20/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Ilhan Omar's campaign which sent me an email about the book becoming available

Review:

I am so glad I read this book.  I really didn't remember who Omar was.  She was a member of The Squad and their forward thinking, progressive policies were enough for me, but I really did not understand who she was.  I'd even forgotten that I'd emailed her and offered to drive her around DC if she needed it in response to her op-ed about the cabbie in DC before she became a representative.

She is far from perfect and it is important to remember that about those who represent us in Congress.  It was good to see that she was more than a policy wonk as well (Elizabeth Warren really benefited in my opinion from her discussion with Colbert--those discussions helped us see her as more than a politician).  I look forward to one day meeting her and thanking her for her role in making government more supportive of the people.  Of course, that will have to wait until after this COVID nonsense is well past over.  And, of course, I'm just another old white guy who thrills to see diversity in congress, so likely nothing special in her book.

One Life, Megan Rapinoe

 

One Life by Megan Rapinoe is the autobiography of a bad ass soccer player.

Started: 12/11/2020
Completed: 12/13/2020
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

I knew that Rapinoe was gay well before I started this book.  I knew that she was controversial.  I knew that she was a wonderful player.  I have learned a lot from this book about her youth in a large family.  The support that her parents provided for Megan and her twin sister travelling the country to participant in competitive soccer games.

It was interesting to hear her talk about her brother, Brian, and his criminal behavior while also listening to The Thunderhead where an entire section of society is given the space to be criminal in a manner which does not hurt others.  It addresses the black/white differences between those on your side and those who you are against and gives form to the sense that Megan has of how the criminal is innately "evil" and the people outside of prison are primarily "good."  Megan is wide-eyed about the problems with the criminal justice system in part because she experienced part of it directly. 

The heart of this book is a call to action--LFG (Let's Fucking Go).  It is a call to halt oppression against minorities.  It is a call framed within the actions Rapinoe has taken within her own life, but it is a much broader call to action then it is an autobiography.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, Richard P. Feynman

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman:"  Adventures of a curious character by Richard P. Feynman is another Feynman book.  I tend to find these irresistible.

Started: 6/5/2020

Completed: 6/7/2020

Recommendation: Recommended

Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

Feynman was an interesting fellow.  This book recounts how diverse his life was and what pleasure he took in annoying people.  It is just a collection of stories and it gives a rather rosy picture of Feynman telling stories on himself that he most enjoyed.

Know My Name, Chanel Miller

Know My Name:  A memoir by Chanel Miller is the story of a woman who was raped by a Stanford jock and her name was kept anonymous out of respect for her.  This is her story as she wants to tell it.

Started: 1/1/2020

Completed: 2/26/2020

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Recommended By: 60 Minutes

Review:

This book is a hard read.  It is a difficult story and it is told without pulling punches.  The author refers to her own vagina as "a void in my body."  She does this to establish how the court system sees her and how she comes to see herself half way through the prosecution of her attacker.  Chanel Miller had a strong and moving statement that was released to the public and I remember reading it when it came out--how impressed I was!  Now, understanding all that is behind it, I am simply aghast.  This is a highly personal recounting of a sexual assault so it is hard to read, but it is worth the time.