Shameful

Systemic classism and racism are alive and well in Mississippi. If you have any doubt about this, read this book. It tells the true and horrific tale of how the criminal justice system in that state collaborated with two self-serving medical professionals, a pathologist and a dentist, churned victim after victim into prison with their "expert" testimonies. Suffice it to say that they could not have achieved what they did without the complete support of a system that wanted to keep a specific type of person behind bars, truth be damned. Sheds a lot of light on the happenings of the day.

Turns Out It Wasn't Such a Great Gamble

Stories of seafaring daredevils in the days of yore have always fascinated me; consequently I was delighted to get this book as a gift. It didn't disappoint. Taking place in the mid-17th century, this tale chronicles the true events of the British ship the Wager, part of a small fleet of warships tasked with chasing down a treasure-laden Spanish galleon. Sounds like something from a Disney ride, but not so much. Pretty much every step of this journey spelled doom for these sailors. Robinson Crusoe meets Castaway, meets Lord of the Flies is the best way I can describe it. Well-written and riveting.

A Change of Perspective

How many people have been passed over, misunderstood, maligned, underestimated or even vilified for being neurodiverse? We didn't even have that term when I was a kid, and I shudder to think of the judgment that was passed on people who didn't fit the "norm" back then. Turns out being differently wired is lots more common that one would think. What is normal anyway? As I read this book I realize that there is, indeed a spectrum, and we're all somewhere on it, but it seems like more of a spiderweb design than linear when you get right down to it. There are so many things that deviate from typical, and is that so bad? Do we want to be like Pringle-like humans? These unique folks are the ones who create, invent, perfect and streamline. In Differently Wired, Deborah celebrates diversity and gives practical, sensitive advice to those who are close to someone for whom the descriptor applies.