Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  Shadows of the Workhouse By    By    Jennifer Worth Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Yesterday I finished reading the vivid tale, Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth. Jennifer tells the heart wrenching stories of the denizens inhabiting the pest-infected slums of the Isle of Dogs. It’s these colourful East Enders who spent early years in London’s workhouses who tell their tales as they live out their lives in the shadows of the workhouse. Although it seemed the workhouses were originally meant to provide basic sustenance for the poor and unemployed, the harsh discipline and separation of family members meant that these poor Londoners were stripped of the nurturance that comes from human warmth found in a mother’s arms or the familiar voice of a brother or sister. One boy found employment, set up his own business, and rescued his younger sister from their workhouse, but learned his mother, who was shunted off to another location, had died. One ...

Call The Midwife   A True Story of the East End    in the 1950s By    Jennifer Worth Reviewed by   Geoffrey Sutton / suttong.com I read Call the Midwife because I liked the TV show, and my wife recommended the book. I’m a child of 1950s London and grew up with stories from the old days.  Both of my parents are from large London families who survived both World Wars in the city. They lived in small 19 th century dwellings and other relatives lived in multi-storey tenements built in the 1800s.  So, for me, reading this tragic tale is a sort of time travel. I’m from Islington and though I’ve walked the streets of Poplar, experienced the blinding London smog, and wandered about the docklands on the Isle of Dogs, I did not realise the extent of the poverty in the 1950s.   I also appreciated the snapshot of history—the time it took to repair bombed out London. What a difference birth control has made! How many opportunities are now open to ...

The Traitor 2023 by Geoffrey Sutton & Bing AI The Spy 2023 by Geoffrey Sutton & Bing AI   The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War By    Ben Macintyre Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Macintyre makes this true spy story read like a fast-paced novel. The besieged hero struggles against inner demons whilst battling valiantly against a powerful empire. The Spy and the Traitor reveals Russia's Oleg Gordievesky's deconversion from the "religion" of the USSR and conversion to the fresh air of Democracy, which he found in the welcoming arms of Britain's MI6. Gordievsky was born 10 October 1938. As he rose in the KGB hierarchy, his brilliant intelligence and courage provided Britain and her allies with a cornucopia of news and information about the soviet regime's inner workings, fears, and plans between 1974 and 1985. Ironically, some of Gordievesky's revelations may have served both sides well by averting catastrophic and des...

Believing in Magic:  The Psychology of Superstition Updated Edition     By   Stuart A. Vyse Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton Are you superstitious? In Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition    Stuart Vyse provides a highly readable, informative, and even entertaining look at superstition. Vyse covers a wide variety of superstitions used by children and adults in many cultures but focuses on the charms, beliefs, and rituals prevalent in the United States.   We also learn from experiments and observations how superstitious behavior develops in children and continues into adult life. Animal studies reveal uncanny resemblances to the superstitious behavior of humans. We also learn by imitating others thus; social influence is a factor associated with superstitious beliefs and rituals. Those who play professional sports, gamblers in casinos, and college students taking exams, serve as prime examples of people who engage in s...

  Man at the Gate 2023 Geoffrey Sutton & Bing AI Stranger at the Gate To Be Gay and  Christian in America By     Mel White   Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton It’s been three decades since Mel White completed his testimony, Stranger at the Gate , which his ex-wife and friend, Lyla White, lovingly introduced. Mel White begins his story as an adolescent who became aware of his attraction to men at a time when the general culture was silent about same-sex attraction and the religious culture was beginning to ramp up their rhetoric of condemnation of homosexuality. Mel White lived with his feelings in a painful closet. In his words... “I was miserable for only one reason : I was gay. I don't know when or why it happened. .. I didn't even know what to call it then. But from the beginning, I had only same- sex desires and fantasies. I didn't plan it. I didn't choose it. I didn't desire it. And no one forced it on me. I wasn't re...

  Resistant by Palmer R x esistant – A review of a provocative novel By   Michael Palmer Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton I enjoy a good story and rarely write reviews of novels, but   R x esistant   deserves to be an exception. It’s not just a thrilling adventure. It’s a story from 2013 that will challenge readers to think about America’s leaders, values, and politics in light of the pandemic that began its killing spree six years after the author died. As I write this review, our deficit has spiraled out of control. Our government cut taxes even before SARS / COVID-19 waded ashore, which increased our public debt. COVID-19 began killing. Then the government panicked and flooded our economy. Greedy people sucked up huge amounts of government bailouts meant to help those who would struggle during the unprecedented business-destroying shut-down. Mixed medical messages confused people about whom to trust. And inflation rose like a rocket to Ma...

  The GOD PROBLEM How a Godless Cosmos Creates By Howard Bloom Reviewed by      Geoffrey W. Sutton In the beginning …that is about 13.787 billion years ago our universe began. Bloom invites us to return to the beginning so we might observe how the universe created itself without recourse to supernatural explanations. Time is a stairway. On each post-big-bang step we pause to observe what’s new. What’s unfolding. Eventually, humans emerge on earth and begin to use models to represent their world to modify their environment. Soon humans are standing on the steps of time and looking at the stars. Bloom captures various moments when our forebears began to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos. At first, the progress is small. Primitive ideas slowly become more complex. At times, Bloom meanders and repeats phrases like a parent reminding child of life’s truisms.  Then, a few centuries ago, Bloom is off and running from one scientist to another scooping up...