I’ve been asked why I generally review crime/mystery/ suspense/thriller-type novels. I suppose that my most direct answer is that I enjoy the genre. But these books are also a break from the books that I needed to read during my professional life. Most of those were in the fields of sociology and psychology, although I also taught a class titled “Sociology through Literature,” which was based on “modern classics.” This generation of YA (Young Adult) books also fascinates me b

California stands at a crossroads with Proposition 50, a measure that threatens to unravel the progress we’ve made toward unbiased, transparent redistricting. Californians strongly rejected partisan gerrymandering by establishing the Citizens Redistricting Commission, taking map-drawing power from self-serving Sacramento politicians, and putting it in the hands of an impartial group dedicated to fairness, not politics. The Commission has been far from perfect, but it beats th

Remember Elon Musk? No, not the disemploymentator. The high-tech industrial genius who was born in South Africa and immigrated to Canada in 1989. There, he attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, for two years before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, he received a Bachelor of Arts in physics and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School. Since then, he has been busy amassing money. Even before he was granted his degrees, he co

Brad Meltzer is an interesting author who really knows his stuff. In September, 2006, he participated in a brainstorming session with the CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and several psychologists to try to figure out new methods that might be used by terrorists to attack the United States. That was quite an honor for a guy who was once a writer of comic books.  But comic books, like Justice League of America and Superman/Batman, were part of a much larger body of w

Three hundred million dollars. I opened my mail the other day and found out Gov. Nuisance wants all California taxpayers to pay that much so we can have a completely unnecessary election. Why?

Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone. — John Adams, Second U.S. President Let’s face it. The United States is not and never has been a true democracy. But we began the grand experiment with a document that was close. Only it was not as close as we’ve been led to believe.  The concept of democracy can be traced back to Greece in the fifth century B.C. when men (but not women, slaves, or foreigners) could participate in decision-making. The philosophers at that ti

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream captivated a racially divided nation 62 years ago when he said, “I have a dream, that my four little children will, one day, live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump said, “Today is Martin Luther King Day. And his honor — this will be a great honor. But in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make

Although I review mystery/thrillers for the most part, I read a variety of genres. Since retirement, though, mystery/thrillers are my favorites. However, as a former college prof, I do try to keep up with what’s going on with our nation’s youth. So, if you read this column weekly, you’ve read about a few YA novels. I try to choose authors who write well, regardless of plot lines. But it surprises me a bit that most of the YA books that I’ve read have been devoted to the probl