--- John F. Kennedy
The older I get, the more I believe that we can't let others dictate our choices in life. I recently overheard two women speaking disparagingly about an author that I look forward to reading. They felt that his writing "verges on pornographic" while I find it well within my standards of good writing. There are, in fact, virtually no sex scenes in his books, and I realized that it was his liberal use of four letter words that offends them. It is his right to use as many of these words as he pleases, just as it is within their rights to pass up reading his books. That is what makes America great.
J.F.K. realized the importance of individual rights in the 1960's and did his best to give every person the ability to live by his/her own standards. As the years marched on, our politicians continued to fight for those individual rights. The Civil Rights Act that Lyndon Johnson pushed through was groundbreaking, and outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. During his inaugural speech, Jimmy Carter said..."Our commitment of human rights must be absolute, our laws fair, our natural beauty preserved; the powerful must not persecute the weak, and human dignity must be enhanced.
George H. W. Bush signed the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 into law. Because of his global initiative, Bill Clinton received the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights. Concerned with misuse of personal information, George W. Bush signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. President Obama's work on furthering LGBT rights has pushed us to an even better understanding of the constitutional rights promised to "every man, woman and child."
Hopefully our politicians will continue to work towards freedom for everyone, and not allow personal interest groups to take away our choices to better fit their needs. I respect your right not to read certain books, watch certain movies and appreciate certain artistic renderings, and I sincerely hope that you will respect my rights to read, watch and appreciate them all!
Speaking of losing rights, Adolph Hitler was a poster child for those who believe that a select few should rule the world and make the choices. In The Hitler Deception, Allan Leverone postulates a world where perhaps Hitler did not die. Instead, he went into hiding until the time becomes ripe to reemerge as a figurehead for the party he so loved. Possibility? Insanity? Either way, it is an interesting read.
Chloe Kendrick's book, Murder to Go, is a fun read about a young woman who inherits a food truck and all the problems that go with it. Throw in a murdered competitor (come on, there has to be a murdered competitor ) and enjoy a good read.
As always, complete reviews of these books follow this blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly