January 2012 – Writing at Seventy

The Illustrated Man: Chapter Eighteen – The Rocket

January 31, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Fiorello Bodoni, a poor junkyard owner, has managed to save $3,000 to fulfill his lifelong dream of sending one member of his family on a trip to outer space. The family, however, finds it impossible to choose who will go because those left behind will inevitably envy the chosen one for the rest of their lives. Bodoni instead uses the money to build a replica rocket from an old mock-up, and sets up a 3D theater inside the cabin and convinces the children they are actually going through space.

The British edition, first published in 1952 by Hart-Davis omits The Rocket Man, The Fire Balloons, The Exiles and The Concrete Mixer, and adds Usher II from The Martian Chronicles and The Playground from The Stories of Ray Bradbury.

An edition published in 2001 by William Morrow omits The Fire Balloons and adds The Illustrated Man to the end of the book.

The Illustrated Man: Chapter Seventeen – Zero Hour

January 29, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Children across the country are deeply involved in an exciting game they call ‘Invasion’. Their parents think it is cute until it turns out that the invasion is real and aliens are using the children to help them get control of Earth.

The Illustrated Man: Chapter Sixteen – The City

January 27, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book Reviews3 Comments

A rocket expedition from Earth lands on an uncharted planet to be greeted by a seemingly empty city. As the humans begin to explore, they realize that the city is not as empty as it seems. The city was waiting for the arrival of humans; the contingency plan of a long dead civilization, put in place to take revenge upon humanity after their culture was wiped out with biological weapons by humans long before recorded history. Once the city captures and kills the human astronauts, the humans’ corpses are used as automations to finalize the city’s creators’ revenge; a biological attack on the Earth.

The Illustrated Man: Chapter Fifteen – Marionettes, Inc.

January 25, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book ReviewsLeave a comment

A man attempts to escape his marriage by replacing himself with a robot to fool his wife into thinking he hasn’t left and tells a friend about it. The man comes back and tells the robot to go back into the box, and the robot disobeys him saying he has fallen in love with the wife. The robot then proceeds to put the man in the box and goes to visit the wife.

The Illustrated Man: Chapter Fourteen – The Concrete Mixer

January 24, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book Reviews3 Comments

A reluctant Martian soldier is forced to join the army as they prepare to invade Earth. However, when they arrive, they are welcomed by a world at peace, full of people who are curious rather than aggressive. The protagonist meets a movie director, and it becomes clear that the people of Earth have planned to exploit the Martians for financial gain. He tries to escape back to Mars, but is run over by a car and killed.

The Illustrated Man: Chapter Thirteen – The Visitor

January 23, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book ReviewsLeave a comment

This story takes place on Mars, which is used as a quarantine for people with deadly illnesses. One day, the planet is visited by a young man of eighteen who has the ability to perform thought transference and telepathy. The exiles on the planet are thrilled with his ability and a violent fight breaks out over who will get to spend the most time with their visitor and enjoy the illusionary paradises he can transmit. In the struggle, the young man is killed and the escape he provided is lost forever.

The Illustrated Man:Chapter Twelve – The Fox and the Forest

January 19, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book ReviewsLeave a comment

A couple from the future tires of the war in their modern lives, so they go on a vacation to the more serene past in an attempt to escape with the help of a company called Travel in Time, Inc. They go to Mexico in 1938, but are pursued by a government agent who forces them to come back to 2155.

Black Faces of War: A Legacy of Honor From the American Revolution to Today

January 16, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book ReviewsLeave a comment

With Black History Month just a couple of weeks away “Black Faces of War: A Legacy of Honor From the American Revolution to Today” commemorates the achievements by African-Americans in the United States military from the American Revolution to the present. I loved the perfect blend of paintings, photography and prose to tell this story. The book includes contributions from prominent historian Hal Chase, W. Stephen Morris, and Luther H. Smith, one of the celebrated Tuskegee Airmen.

My own education of “The Black Faces of War” began when I was a college history major I visited Fort Davis, Texas and first learned of the Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis from 1867-1885. It showed a gap in my education concerning the role of African-American’s in the US military.

Author Robert V. Morris’ work includes black military heroes such as Crispus Attucks, the first man to die in the Revolutionary War. We learn the story of Lieutenant James Reese Europe. He brought jazz music to Europe in 1918. Lieutenant Charity Adams, commander of the only all-black Women’s Army Corps unit during World War II narrative is told. The book also includes General Colin Powell, who served with merit in Vietnam. He became the first African-American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War. He also retired a four-star general before becoming the first African-American Secretary of State.

This is a must addition to any military historian’s library as well as community library. The history of African-Americans in the US military is a too often neglected history. It is necessary that not only African-Americans, but also all Americans know of the import contributions made throughout history.

The Illustrated Man: Chapter Eleven – No Particular Night or Morning

January 16, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Two men in a spaceship are discussing how empty and cold space is. The first man is a little bit insane and keeps asking questions about how there is nothing sure in space and there is no night or morning. He refuses to believe anything about reality without sufficient evidence and soon becomes skeptical of everything he cannot directly experience. He said that he doesn’t believe in stars because they are too far away. The second man is wandering about the ship when he learns that someone has left the ship, and it is the first man. The first man is still talking to himself and has killed himself by letting himself fly freely through space.

The Illustrated Man: Chapter Ten – The Exiles

January 14, 2012January 28, 2018 Posted in Book Reviews1 Comment

Numerous works of literature are banned and burned on Earth. The fictional characters of these books are portrayed as real-life entities who live in a refuge on Mars. However, they are vulnerable, as when all the books on a character are destroyed, the character itself vanishes permanently. When the group of characters learn that some people are coming for them, they stage a counterattack, but are foiled by the astronauts who burn the last remaining books from Earth, unknowingly annihilating the entire colony.

Writing at Seventy

Love to travel, read, write in coffeeshops, and listen to music.

Month: January 2012

The Illustrated Man: Chapter Eighteen – The Rocket

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The Illustrated Man: Chapter Seventeen – Zero Hour

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The Illustrated Man: Chapter Sixteen – The City

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The Illustrated Man: Chapter Fifteen – Marionettes, Inc.

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The Illustrated Man: Chapter Fourteen – The Concrete Mixer

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The Illustrated Man: Chapter Thirteen – The Visitor

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The Illustrated Man:Chapter Twelve – The Fox and the Forest

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Black Faces of War: A Legacy of Honor From the American Revolution to Today

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The Illustrated Man: Chapter Eleven – No Particular Night or Morning

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The Illustrated Man: Chapter Ten – The Exiles

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