The Outlaw Ocean

The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina. Hard to read at times, do to the subject matter being so disturbing. This book outlines with several different scenarios that troubles of the earth's oceans: over fishing, pollution, forced labor. The author makes the point that the oceans have seemed to be a limitless resource, so 'abusing' them has not been taken seriously by many people. However, the reality is very different. The oceans are the first line that show the affect of climate change, and the rate of acceleration is pretty scary.

Fort Niagara

Fort Niagara by William Utley and Patricia Scott. The history of this fort, located where the Niagara river flows into Lake Ontario. This particular history is of the french period, the first version of the fort, up until the British takeover of the fort in 1759 during the French and Indian War. Having spent time in the early 1980s working at this fort, I have a personal interest in this, and found the early history quite interesting. Like The British Are Coming, this book illustrates how much happened well before 1776, and how all the events before that July date led up to the rebellion actually happening. It is quite complicated how the French, English and native peoples interacted. Each of them jockeying for the best position in the trade that was going on in this part of north America. This book probably appeals to a select group who know this area, but for that group this is a great resource.

Ali: A Life

Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig. Very interesting story of one of the most interesting and controversial people of the 20th century. This seems to be a very well researched book. Mr. Eig appears to have had access to many people still living who knew Ali. He weaves in the civil rights situation of the 60s and 70s to show how Ali fit into and shaped that period of history. I did have to stop reading this before the actual end of the book. The final chapters of Ali's life were too sad to read about, and it was better to just think of the young Ali and his amazing energy. He was the greatest!