imyourmausoleum's reviews
1678 reviews

 Frank William Abagnale Jr. was born in the Bronx, New York City, on April 27, 1948. He became involved in a host of crimes... stealing cars, wracking up credit card debt, impersonating a pilot, cashing fraudulent checks. This memoir is really interesting, as it gets you inside the mind of a (largely) white collar criminal. This was also made into a movie feature Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Overall, it was an alright read, and I am glad to have it off my shelf. 

 The South Canyon Fire, also known as the Storm King fire, originated on July 2, 1994, when lightning struck Storm King Mountain in Colorado, igniting vegetation. The fire was not considered a concern, as it was away from private property, but after burning for a couple of days, action was taken on July 5. The terrain and changing weather conditions made this fire very difficult to fight. The fire managed to surpass the fire breaks and began burning out of control. The fire eventually overtook some of the fire personnel, killing 14 of them. For anyone living in the area, or those who are traveling though, there are several memorials you can visit. The Storm King memorial follows the trail hiked by the fallen fire fighters with plaques along the way.

This book was well done. I grew up in a family of firefighters and first responders, so this book was very moving to me. While they did not fight wildfires, there were some very scary situations they found themselves in. Disasters can show you the best in people during the worst of times. It is also heartening to see that the loss of this crew implemented some changes in the way other generations approached wildfires. I enjoyed this book, despite the sad topic. 

 Police responded to a call about a robbery on November 8, 2010. When police arrived at the home in question, they found Hann Pann severely injured. Hann would become permanently blinded from his ordeal. Bich Pan was shot to death. The daughter of the couple, Jennifer, was found unharmed but shaken up. The investigation revealed involvement on Jennifer's part. I do not want to go into much detail about how the cause unfolded or what happened to Jennifer for those of you who are interested. People make some really wild choices and ruin their lives for no reason though.

This case was featured on a Netflix documentary that I watched a couple of months ago. If you are interested in the documentary, it is called What Jennifer Did. This book was recently on sale on Audible, which is where I got my copy. The physical copy is around 330 pages for those who prefer physical books. The writing was decent, and the case was research appropriately. It was easy to follow. 

 This book was actually really interesting. I wasn't too sure about it, but it gave a really good history of how buffalo were hunted and how low the numbers got. It also discussed how important buffalo are to Indigenous populations. I was actually really engaged by this book, which I did not expect at all. This was a decent and even moving book. 

Yellow Fever is a virus that exhibits symptoms such as: fever, chills, body aches, muscle aches, headaches, and nausea. Yellow Fever is typically spread through mosquito bites. Yellow Fever originated in Africa but was spread throughout the Americas thanks to the slave trade. This book discusses the study of Yellow Fever, and all of the theories about the origins and treatment. Among the topics discussed are the questionable human case studies that were conducted by US doctors. (This should be a shock, but is not.)

I started this book a couple of months ago for one of my classes in school. I wanted to get some of this stuff off my shelf, so I decided now was as good a time as any to finish it up. It was very useful for me to use as a reference in my science class, and I learned a lot about Yellow Fever and epidemics in general. If you are interested, this may be a good place to start. It will also make you really think about the importance of insect repellant, getting rid of things that create standing water that mosquitos breed in, and consider vaccinations if you live in or travel to an at-risk country.

 This book discusses the death of Caylee Anthony, a three year old girl. She was (very belatedly) reported missing by her family, while her mother was out partying and buying alcohol with a bunch of boys. There were a lot of weird and suspicious things that went on during this investigation. I disagree strongly with the outcome of this case, however I realize one must bear the burden of proof in criminal trials. If nothing else, the case proved that the mother of this child was not fit to be a mother, nor acted like an adult in any sense of the word, and certainly should bear responsibility for herself and the death of this child.

If there is one person in the world who has a face I want to introduce to a curb, it is Casey Anthony. I am appalled that she now resides in the same state as me. I am also appalled that she took a tourist trip to the Alcatraz East Crime Museum, where items that belonged to the daughter whose death she (most absolutely) had something to do with are housed. I think, as a person divested from this crime, she has some serious mental issues. Her dad is a CREEP, and I would not be shocked in the least if her allegations against him were true. I think she is very manipulative, and I believe her relationship with her lawyer and those around her are evidence of such. I can appreciate the legal resolution of the case, but I certainly do not agree with it at all. Personal opinion aside, the book was decently written with plenty of facts that were current at the time of writing. A lot has happened with this...woman...since the conclusion of the case, so the book is a bit out of date in that regard. I am glad to have gotten it off my shelf though. 

 Bethany Hamiton was born in Hawaii in 1990. She learned how to surf at age three and entered the world of competitive surfing at age eight. She was good enough to get a sponsorship at age 10. (Meanwhile, I was 12 and doing nothing exciting.) In 2003, at age 13, Bethany was attacked by a Tiger Shark. This attack resulted in the loss of her left arm. The shark was caught about a mile away from the attack by some fisherman, who discovered surfboard pieces in its mouth. Police later determined the fragments were a match to Bethany's board. Bethany recounts her experiences regarding the attack and her desire to get back to surfing in this book. She has since continued to compete competitively.

I found this book to be really inspiring for a couple of reasons. It shows that children can have passions and work hard toward them. It also shows a determination and desire to overcome to continue doing thing you love to do, despite serious odds against you. For those of you interested in surfing, there is a museum called the California Surf Musuem that houses the swimsuit and surfboard Bethany Hamilton was wearing at the time of her attack, along with many other neat items. The book was just over 200 pages, so if you are looking for a quick read to help meet your goals that is also interesting...this might be for you. 

 Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation (OCEN) is historically known as the Monterey Band of Monterey County as the results of the Congressional Homeless Indian Acts. These people are also often referenced as Mission San Carlos Indigenous. Currently, the tribe has completed all requirements to be reinstated as a Federally Recognized Tribe, and I sincerely hope they achieve that. There are over 600 people enrolled in this Tribe today. The author of this book is a member of this tribe, and discusses the history of genocide against them from the 1800s up to present day. Missions were built throughout the Western part of the country, and Indigenous people were used to construct them in what was basically slave labor. Children were snatched and sent to these schools to "Christianize" them. The story of the missions and the stories of the later residential schools are very similar. Forced labor, forcing them to only speak Spanish or English, ridding them of their customs, clothing, and beliefs, rape, beatings, deaths... The population of the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen declined to appalling levels, thanks to death, low birth rate, and high mortality due to disease and living conditions. The systematic eradication of a people is disgusting to me. If you read this book and do not find yourself disgusted and outraged at the treatment of these people, you have serious problems.

I have the Audible version of this book. It was approximately six hours of listening time. If you are interested in the physical copy, it is just over 200 pages. I had never heard of this particular tribe on Indigenous people, though I am sure there are hundreds more I could say the same about. I learned a great deal about the culture, which I loved. I think it is wonderful that the author was able to research her family so extensively and discuss the truth about what happened in the Missions. This was a very moving, and very enraging, book. The atrocities that Indigenous people in the Americas have faced are disgraceful, and they are ongoing. This book mentions the legacy of violence and various types of physical, mental, emotional, and substance abuse that many Indigenous still struggle with today. This is generational. The stripping away of a peoples' identity and culture is abhorrent. It is tragic. If you would like to learn more about the tribe the author belongs to, please visit ohlonecostanoanesselennation.org 

 

Air France Flight 4590 was an international flight traveling from Paris to New York. This flight departed on July 25, 2000 (my goodness, I was in sixth grade) when debris on the runway from a previous flight caused catastrophic damage for 4590. This flight goes down in history as the only fatal Concorde incident in the history of Concorde. Concorde planes were in operation for 27 years, but all planes were grounded following this accident. Concorde ceased operations shortly after. If you happen to be in France, there is a beautiful memorial to the 109 people who died in this crash, located at Gonesse. There is another memorial located just south of the airport where the crash occurred. This book detailed the accident and the subsequent criminal investigations, so if you are interested in air history or plane crashes...this is a good book for you.

This book is part of a three-book series, called Air Disasters. Luckily, you do not have to read them in any particular order, which is wonderful. They are not terribly long books; this one came in under 300 pages. They are all well-researched and provide plenty of facts about the crashes. I was recommended these books off of a show, called Mayday, that I ran across on tv that covered several air disasters. I remember learning about the Concorde on the Weekly Readers that we did in elementary school. This was a really neat book, and I am glad I got an extra day off work due to inclement weather to read some.

 

 Turkish Airlines Flight 981 departed from Istanbul on a scheduled flight to London. This flight also included a stopover in Paris. The plane was a McDonnell Douglas DC-10. The plane was carrying 335 passengers and 11 crew members. An incorrectly secured cargo door opened during the flight, causing an explosive decompression situation. The issue with the cargo door was a known issue, one that had previously caused another crash. A remedy was found for this, and documents stated that this was applied to Flight 981...but it had not been. The plane crashed into the Ermenonville Forest in Oise, France. The speed of the plane at impact was approximately 487 miles per hour. There were no survivors, with only 188 bodies being visually identifiable. This crash was the first to exceed 200 deaths. This crash also holds the title of being the deadliest plane crash in France, the deadliest DC-10 crash, and the deadliest single-aircraft accident with no survivors. As you can imagine, there were lawsuits and investigations aplenty after this crash, AS THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN. Accidents happen, nothing is 100% safe, but people should be held responsible for not doing their jobs, fixing problems, or creating a safe environment for the public they serve.

This crash was featured on an episode of Mayday, and this episode also featured a similar story of American Airlines Flight 96, which had the same issue with the cargo door. This book was well researched. There are three books in this Air Disasters series, and I have one left to go. If you are interested in aviation and aviation disasters, I recommend checking out this author.