Nonfiction Book Reviews
Page Two of TwoThe Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
Random House, October, 2002Hardcover, 233 pages
ISBN: 0375508562
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Lately, everyone has heard a great deal about smallpox
and the possibility it could be used in a devastating
and horrifying terrorist attack. Recently, the president
authorized smallpox vaccinations for the military.
Eventually, the smallpox vaccine will be offered to
the public as well, but it will not be mandatory unless
there is an actual smallpox release. No matter what you
have already heard, you will be significantly more alarmed
after reading The Demon in the Freezer. Author Richard Preston
has a way of focusing on the most alarming symptoms and
potential problems of any disease. In this case, as it was in
the Hot Zone, his book about the ebola virus, the symptoms of
smallpox and the enormous devastation a release on the public
could have, are all too real.
In the book Preston gives a background on smallpox, including its horrible symptoms and ability to spread rapidly. One of the horrifying symptoms Preston focuses on is the fact that, unlike all other diseases, when a human body is attacked by smallpox, the person is somehow made more alert and more sensitive, making smallpox incredibly frightening and painful. Preston writes, "As the end approaches, the smallpox victim can remain conscious, in a kind of frozen awareness -- 'a peculiar state of apprehension and mental alertness that were said to be unlike the manifestations of any other disease,' in the words of the Big Red Book. As the cytokine storm devolves into chaos, the breathing may end with a sigh. The exact cause of death in fatal smallpox is unknown to science." Preston also describes in gruesome detail extremely severe smallpox cases where the person's skin does not blister, but instead develops a dark charred appearance and slides off their body in sheets. Preston also goes into great detail about the incredible pursuit to eradicate smallpox, which has spared humanity from smallpox outbreaks since the early 1970s. Unfortunately, as Preston explains in another chapter, once it had been eradicated humans then decided to turn smallpox into a weapon -- especially in Russia where secret labs built weapons that could deliver smallpox particles to thousands of people. Preston also discusses the recent anthrax outbreak and mentions that at first the government was concerned there could be smallpox particles hidden among the anthrax spores. Fortunately, this was not the case. The most alarming part of the book is where Preston discusses a bioengineered smallpox weapon that could infect and kill people even if they had been recently vaccinated. This is an excellent book about a terrifying subject. Smallpox is something all of humanity should understand, so that we know what we are dealing with and why we tried to eradicate it. Richard Preston's book helps people understand. It includes an overview of smallpox and its history, its impact on humanity and the terrifying consequences should mankind decide to intentionally bring it back in the form of a weapon. Highly Recommended.
Fire Lover by Joseph Wambaugh
William Morrow, April, 2002Hardcover, 336 pages
ISBN: 006009527X
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
When someone who is expected to protect and serve
the public uses his or her advantage in stature to
commit crimes, it is both frightening and shocking.
Fire Lover tells the tale of exactly this type of
person. Fire Lover presents the story of John Leonard
Orr, a fire captain and arson-investigator
who became a dangerous arsonist and murderer. The book
accounts Orr's life from his early days, before he became
involved with the fire department, to his days as an
arson investigator. It also describes in detail his many attempts
at arson, both failures and successes, and the incendiary devices
he used. Also chronicled are the events and people involved
in Orr's arrest and his jury trial and conviction. In describing
Orr's life the book gives vivid details of the many fires he was
responsible for and the damage they cost both in lives and
property loss. The book also gets inside the head of Orr himself,
describing his thoughts and unusual ambitions.
Joseph Wambaugh is a former LAPD detective sergeant and New York Times bestselling author of The Onion Field, Golden Orange and Finnegan's Week. His detailed account of John Orr, the pyromaniac arson investigator, is first-rate. Wambaugh's writing is captivating and he masterfully portrays the life events and personality quirks that may have helped John Orr turn to a life of crime. The narrative also points out Orr's madness, such as his obsession with being noticed and his desire to do something great. Ironically, Orr was also writing a novel about a serial arsonist. Prosecutors used parts of Orr's novel and correspondence with publishers at the trial, because the accounts in the novel were similar to fires Orr had actually started himself. Wambaugh must have logged thousands of hours in research time for this book, interviewing witnesses and reading case records court transcripts. Wambaugh is a fascinating writer and Fire Lover is a truly entertaining and shocking story. Highly Recommended.
Tea & Sympathy by Anita Naughton, with Nicola Perry
Putnam, November, 2002Hardcover, 195 pages
ISBN: 0399149376
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
In 1990 a young woman named Nicola Perry
took the plunge and moved to New York from
London to open an authentic British tea shop.
Waitress Anita Naughton kept a record of
the little tea shop's slow ride to celebrity-studded
success. David Bowie celebrated his 50th birthday
party there, and everyone from Rupert Everett
to Naomi Campbell, Judi Dench, Anna Sui
and Quentin Tarantino
stop by for lunch or tea.
Perry and Naughton treat readers to over sixty of the restaurant's most popular recipes, such as Yorkshire Pudding, Tea & Sympathy Scones, Tweed Kettle Pie, Shepard's Pie, Treacle Pudding, Sticky Toffee Pudding and, of course, a proper cup of tea. In addition to the marvelous recipes which showcase good English cooking, the book tells the story of the people who have made the restaurant a success. Told in chatty, moving and sometimes hilarious style, the stories of the friends and patrons of the tea house involve friendship, love, loss and triumph over adversity. Also included are photographs illustrating the life, times, and visitors to the establishment. This is truly a entertaining little gem of a book, which functions equally well as a cookbook or a delightfully comic memoir.
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