Robert

Boring

Revisado: 01-27-25

Clearly, a lot of people liked this book, particularly BP sufferers. And I certainly don't deny that they did find it a good listen. But I think that a warning for buyers is in order. I was expecting a book that focused on the illness. I guess I was expecting a good 'medical mystery' book. This isn't that. Ms. Ruhl seems to have an aversion to speaking about the science behind this illness. What we get is a lot about theater, Buddhism, quotes from many authors about smiles. In fact, she suffers from myriad illnesses and we learn little about any of these. She gets a rare illness during her pregnancy, followed by her BP, but little about the possible connection. A dozen 'alternative therapies' but we don't really find that any are effective except eventually physical therapy. So, here's the truth, if you're a GUY who likes books about medical mysteries, this book is probably NOT for you.

Ms. Ruhl has one round of EMG testing which she found so painful that she stopped it. I've had this twice. It is NOT that painful.

Anyway, GUYS, be warned, there's a good chance that you won't like this book unless you like really soft medical stories.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Poetry Read by the Wanderer Himself

Revisado: 02-15-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Listening to Riverscapes is a bit like hearing Odysseus recite his own adventures. Rather than a return from Troy, this is a voyage from Greece to America, and from the Eastern shores of America to the West. But, more than places, it is a story of family, of friends, and lovers, told with humor and sincerity. You can taste the feta and retsina, feel the repression of the Greek government and the excited activism of the students, experience the pain of a father and son who love but can't reconcile, share the joy of a child's crystal radio.. It's the stuff of life, made real by the author's deeply felt reading.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Textbook on the FBI

Revisado: 04-21-19

I bought the audiobook to learn more about McCabe's conflict with the Trump administration. I ended up learning a great deal about the FBI. The weaving of current politics with FBI procedure is well done.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Absolutely Gripping

Revisado: 04-21-19

One of the most exciting books of nonfiction that I've read. A real page-turner. Highly recommended.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Informative

Revisado: 04-21-19

Excellent. Some of the interviews with the family are a bit long, but the information is well-presented.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Good Companion to "The Crown"

Revisado: 04-21-19

Generally excellent. I learned some things I didn't know about Charles and Diana. A bit too gushy near the end.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Book of Self-Serving Lies

Revisado: 04-21-19

If you have a look at my other reviews, you'll see that I'm an easy grader, but this book is infuriating. I bought this audiobook because I wanted to learn about intelligence and Clapper had a long career in intelligence, culminating with his role as DNI. You will learn NOTHING about intelligence from this book, nothing. I got the impression that Clapper never did any real intelligence work during his career, except for a stint as a reconnaissance radio operator during the CIA's secret (and illegal) war in Laos. Clapper is a master of presentations, budgets, and empire building within the intelligence community. You will learn much more than you ever want to know about acronyms and organizations.

When the President's Daily Briefing was given to Obama on a secure iPad, intelligence head Clapper HAD to have it on paper, because he couldn't deal with an iPad. This was the man responsible for American cybersecurity. When China (presumably) broke into OPM servers and stole the records of 4 million government employees, and thousands of security clearance applications, Clapper took no responsibility. After all, the OPM was not HIS organization. As head of cybersecurity, he seemed to believe that his responsibilities ended with his own organization. He didn't understand that it was HIS job to protect America.

When heading the agency in charge of image gathering, he provided 3000 images to the Bush administration. He said they COULD represent WMD sites. No attempt was made to verify that even ONE of these sites actually WAS a WMD site. I don't believe that Clapper is evil, I believe he is monumentally incompetent. He was responsible for hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths.

When called before Congress, he was asked whether he knew of any program that collected data about millions of Americans. He lied, and spends about 20% of the book explaining that he didn't lie. The video leaves no doubt, he LIED.

The first three quarters of this book is terminally boring. The final quarter is more interesting for his attacks on Trump and defense of Hillary. I suspect this may be why the book has gotten such good reviews. However, it was Clapper's job to have detected and stopped the Russian cyberattacks. He utterly failed to do this. He is the man most responsible for Trump being president. Clapper is a man with a limited skill set. He is able to react to events, but he simply does not have the intelligence to anticipate events. He is a technophobe put in charge of defending the US from cyberattacks. The book is a self-whitewash of a calamitous career. If you must listen, do so with skepticism.

And, I grew so tired of hearing of how he spoke "truth to power". Clapper only did this when it was convenient. When it counted most, he lied to please Presidents. Judge for yourself.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Absolutely Gripping!!!

Revisado: 09-27-18

If an audiobook had pages, this would be a page-turner. The story had me from the start and there are plenty of twists along the way. It's well-written, and well-read. It's as good as its high ratings.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Exceeded my expectations

Revisado: 09-26-18

The book was hyped so much that I thought I would be disappointed. I wasn't. The book did change my view of Trump. His positions are rooted in ignorance, but the book shows that he is no fool, nor is he insane, nor insecure. He is a person who is supremely confident that he is more capable of running things than anyone else. Most important, he sees the US as a company of which he is the CEO. His goal is to take in as much money from other countries as he can. He doesn't need to understand national defense or foreign policy, all he needs to understand is how to take in more from each country than we give to them. Trump is Ceasar, and the world is to pay tribute. That includes paying for the legions. Woodward provides a gripping view of the mind of Trump. Required reading.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Good performance can't save this story

Revisado: 07-05-18

I bought this book because I enjoyed Maugham's "Painted Veil". This is a very different book. The story is long and dull, and eventually goes completely off the rails. Maugham's editor must have gone on vacation. The performance is excellent, but can't save a bad book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña