"Sleeping With the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude" by Robert Baer

Robert Baer’s second non-fiction book is another sobering call to the American consumer for rationality. Listen to this: When our unquenchable thirst for oil must be satisfied, Washington goes the extra step to acquire it!

Turing our attention to few well known (outside of the 495-beltway) facts about the American-Saudi Arabian political connection, Mr. Baer explores the consequences of a half-century’s stream of money and oil between the two countries and the subsequent product of it- terrorism against democracy.

There is a complex web that has been weaved in Washington and this book attempts to untangle it, but whether it’s successful I leave to you to decide (keep in mind, there are countless references to Saudi-Arabian prices and their contributions to American campaigns. There are the names of many famous politicians rumored to have been connected with some of these princes. And of course, there are also plenty of CIA ‘Deletions’ that left me wondering what else does the US government want to hide?)

Overall, I recommend this book to all lovers of true political conspiracies.

- by Simon Cleveland

"Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays" by David Foster Wallace

Do you have any idea how many lobsters die each year in order to satisfy our culinary cravings? I’ve no idea, but after reading the essay ‘Consider the Lobster,’ I have to say – too many.

Mr. Wallace approaches the issue from the stand point of our claw-y friends. Put yourself in the lobster’s position – here you are, backtracking through the bottom of New England’s coastline and suddenly you find yourself in the 100+ lbs pressure cooker of the annual Main Lobster Festival. You squirm, you fight, you die. But who are you? Are you just a tasty subject, one that is born to feed the gluttony of others, or are you more than that? Does anyone ever consider the fact that from a biological stand point, the lobster is a lot more of a complex system than the simple single cell organism of the ocean? If yes, then how come we avoid considering the consequences of the painful gastronomic preparations, that the Lobster MAY be feeling the unbearable pain of the boiling water?

There are other interesting essays in this book. Essays like the on the debauchery of American porn industry, on the depravity of selected few who parade their sexuality not only on TV, but on the Las Vegas strip ( I personally found this essay too overwhelming for my literary tastes).

…and there are more.

Overall, I recommend this book to all intellectual seekers of the contemporary issues that plague our nation. Here is a chance to satisfy your tastes for criticism, creativity and irony with a highly entertaining and skillfully constructed book.

- by Simon Cleveland

"A Death in Belmont" by Sebastian Junger

Ever since "The Perfect Storm," I've been intrigued by Mr. Junger's writing style. Careful construction, fascinating details and the all encompassing thrill, are just some of the great qualities of his books.

In his latest "A Death In Belmont", Mr. Junger narrates the chilling story of a crime that occurred practically in his own backyard for which (he speculates) an innocent man was found guilty of committing. Believe it or not, Mr. Junger begins his book with the description of a picture in which his mother and he are posing for the camera, while the convicted Boston Strangler (Al DeSalvo) is smiling in the background. As the readers will discover, Mr. Junger's family came very close to loosing one of their own to the viciousness of this serial killer. The book is written well and in the end one is left wondering about the effectiveness of our judicial system and whether is has failed us more than helped us over the years.

This book is recommended to all crime fans and those curious about what murders may have been wrongfully allotted to potentially innocent bystanders.

-by Simon Cleveland

"The Terrible Hours" by Peter Maas

This is the tale of the heroic effort it took to save the lives of United States navy men aboard the sunken submarine Squalus. Following the successful mission, the author examines the 100+ days it took to salvage the vessel, the rebuilding of it and its subsequent missions.

Although rich in detail and at times too technical, the book failed to capture my attention to the extent ‘Shadow Divers’ did. What I found lacking was the intimate details of what went on with the survivors during the critical hours from their sinking to their salvation. In contrast, the author did an excellent job capturing the point of view of those who put together the rescue mission.

The book will find favor with all readers interested in submarines, war time stories and rescues missions. However, for a real thrill ride, I highly recommend ‘Shadow Drivers’ by Robert Kurson.

-by Simon Cleveland

"First Person Plural: My Life as a Multiple" by Cameron West

I’ve always been fascinated with the intricacies of the human mind. After completing a book about a patient with schizophrenia I picked up for a change, this book about Disassociative Identity Disorder. I’ve to tell you, in sharp contrast to the effort it took me to comprehension the symptoms of schizophrenia, DID required challenging- no, scratch that- almost mind-bending attempt on my behalf to comprehend how the brain could invent mechanism to cope with abuse.

The story spans over the course of several months. Examining in detail tribulation after tribulation, Dr. West constructs a painful and chaotic existence, beginning with the emergence of several male and female identities and ending with his treatment. Readers are spared the details of the child abuses. And who would want to read about the worst kind of sin? Of course, it must have taken a superhuman effort on the part of the author to complete this book. How could one retain control of his own fragile self when so many identities constantly struggle to burst out in the open and get control of his body? Truthfully, it’s beyond my imagination.

Despite attempts to keep a certain level of sanity within the story, readers must be prepared for a quite confusing narrative. As identities came out across the page, one is forced to struggle to understand the intricate emotions of each personality. Of course, at times I wanted to stop reading, my interest wavered during the dialogues. At other times I was fully captured in the story (especially towards the end when the author finally accepts the reality of his disorder).

For someone who wasn’t very familiar with this type of psychological disorder, I found the book very informative. For those interested in learning about how the disorder manifests itself in the beginning, what impact it has on a patient, and how the person learns to cope with it, pick up a copy of the book.

By Simon Cleveland