Chinese Education in Singapore

Title: Chinese Education in Singapore Author: Zhang Zhixiong Genre: Nonfiction Length: 142 pages (paperback) Rating: 3 out of 5

When this book crossed my path, I opted to grab it.  The education system in China and Singapore is not something that I would naturally dive into.

Having spent time in Dongguan for work, I had a reference point for some of the items in the book.  However, my reference point is very recent history and not the level that this book covers.

I like how the author began by sharing the cultural history.  I was fascinated by the early migration policies.  While I knew that Singapore had been a colony, I was still amazed to learn that most of the early schools were taught mainly in English.

If you are interested in this topic, then this book will be a valuable read. 

Joe Gould's Teeth

Title: Joe Gould's Teeth Author: Jill Lepore Genre:  Non-fiction Length: 151 pages (hardback) Sensitive Content: NA Rating: 3 out of 5

Joe Gould was a man obsessed with writing, race relations, Harvard, and Augusta Savage.  He was made famous by Joe Mitchell, a New York writer who profiled Gould, "Professor Sea Gull."

Gould is said to have recorded everyday conversations in hundreds of notebooks which were scattered across his travels.  His collection is called "The Oral History of Our Time."  Lepore asks, "Shouldn't someone check?" and begins her own journey to find evidence of his notebooks.

Joe Gould was a toothless madman.  He whipped his penis out at parties and measure it.  He destroyed property.  He would turn against friends who had supported him as soon as something wasn't going his way. 

The end of this book focuses on Savage, a black artist who was his perverse obession.  He pursued her, asking friends for assistance.  She pleaded for him to stop.  Lepore writes, "He said he was trying to save her, but really he was trying to drown her."

I picked up this book based on the title of Joe Gould's Teeth, not knowing what the subject really was but fascinated by the cover (and the fact that I have two in braces).  It was an easy read.  At the end, I was more curious about what happened to Augusta Savage than if Gould actually had notebooks still stored in the Northeast states.

One for the Road

Title:  One for the Road Author:  Tony Horwitz Genre:  Nonfiction,Travel Length: 210 pages (paperback) Sensitive Content:  None Rating:  4 out of 5

Tony recently settled in Sydney with his new Australian bride.  He easily settles into life as a reporter at a local newspaper.  As his friends travel to Bali and other places, he has a desire to travel into the outback which he must share with his wife as he wants to hitchhike to experience his newly adopted country...without her.

With just his backpack, he heads out.  He shares that when he was younger he hitchhiked in the United States.  However, this experience differs significantly, which I believe surprises him more than he realizes.

We join him as he ventures through the outback and interacts with the local population.  He shares the history that he knows of the locations he's visiting which help us understand some of the situations he finds himself in.  He is open to new experiences and new people, which make his journey possible.

One of my favorite parts was the story of finding a Jewish family in Broome to celebrate Passover with.  It shows that those in Broome were welcoming to this stranger and went out of their way to help him find a place to belong.

Tony's writing style makes me feel like I am on the journey with him.  I can feel the 100 degree heat on my neck.  I can taste and smell the beer, meals and just the overall environment.  I felt seasick when he was on the fishing boat.

As I have a desire to visit a friend who moved to Australia a few years ago, I feel like I have a better understanding of the environment they have relocated to.

Clocking Out Early

Title:  Clocking Out Early Author:  Cody Boorman &  Georgi Boorman Genre:  Nonfiction, Finances Length: 214 pages (electronic) Sensitive Content:  None Rating:  3 out of 5

If you haven't read a personal finance book to help you get started on your debt free journey, the Boormans do a good job of outlining some day to day categories that can help jump start your budgeting process and your journey.  However, if you've read books by Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman, the concepts within the book itself do not differ that much.

I appreciate the draw down examples they provided.  I felt this gave a real life situation where the market itself is not consistent from year to year but smoothed out as we look at long term investments.  They also showed an example of where you'd run out of money and one where your money will last, based on your willingness to adjust your budget.

The travel hacking section was a fun addition as I don't typically see these in financial books.  However, the scenarios they outlined are ones that I already follow, but would be good for those who have not yet tried this way to save money while expanding your travel budget/experience.

Why did I give this book a three star rating instead of something higher?  Part of the title to this book is "The Ultimate Guide to Early Retirement".  While they authors do a very good job of outlining the topics within the book such as budgeting, debt payoff, travel hacking, investments and more, I never picked up on the portion of the book that related to "FIRE" or early retirement, which was the main driver for me to read this book.

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town

Title:  The Innocent Man Author:  John Grisham Genre:  Mystery, Crime, Nonfiction Length: 435 pages (paperback) Sensitive Content:  None Rating:  3 out of 5

The Innocent Man is a non-fiction story of two men who were wrongly convicted of rape and murder in Oklahoma.

Ron Williamson was the youngest child and only son of his loving Christian family in Ada, Oklahoma.  He grew up playing street ball and became a star on his high school baseball team.  He played for several minor professional league teams hoping to make it to the majors, ultimately the Yankees.  A few injuries and health problems crumbled those dreams.  By his mid-20s Ron began showing signs of mental illness which was compounded by his heavy drinking and drug usage.

In 1982 Debbie Carter was brutally raped and murdered in her apartment in Ada.  The local police missed several items when conducting the investigation, including the individual who had been harassing Debbie the night of her murder.

While there was no credible physical evidence against Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, they were arrested and charged with the rape and murder of Debbie Carter.  The case was built on jailhouse snitches, who had be coached by Bill Peterson, the prosecutor.  Dennis was sentenced to life in prison and Ron was sentenced to the death penalty.

Grisham details Ron's years on death row.  His mother and sisters never gave up on his innocence.  His lawyers filed appeal after appeal.  By the time of the final case, Ron was severely mentally ill as well as depressed by his wrongful conviction.  To add to this, the guards liked to torment the inmates, especially Ron.

Years after being in prison, DNA evidence showed that the two men were innocent.  Ron and Dennis were released from prison, but those who convicted them refused to apologize.  In fact the prosecution continued to believe that the two men were still suspects and might be retired if more evidence presented itself.

Reading this book caused me to go through a series of emotions.  It was frustrating to see some of the major misses of the police department.  I was angry that the prosecution continued to focus on two innocent men while the actual killer was completely missed.  I was sad for what Ron, Dennis and others had experienced.

While I enjoyed this book, it was long in places as Grisham went into a lot of detail about Ron's early life, baseball, injuries, horrible years on death row, etc.  While some of these items were needed to help tell the story, it caused me to skip pages here and there.