Stalin's Children by Owen Matthews Review

Stalin's Children, Three Generations of Love, War, and Survival, is a story of three generations and their experiences under the various incarnations of Russian government.

The opening chapters are rather sad but expected. The author did a wonderful job of explaining the past through photographs, excerpts of correspondence, and generational storytelling passed down from his grandmother and mother. The most central story of this book is author Owen Matthews' mother being separated from her parents at a very young age and raised in orphanages.

Growing up without a mother or father was so pivotal in shaping his mothers outlook on life and the direction her life took. Probably eighty percent or better of this book is about his mother and father, Mila and Mervyn, in one way or another.

Building on top of this and other tragedies in this book, this book is also a story of love lost and love gained, and the family ties that defy odds. Owen Matthews recounts his father Mervyn's early years working in academia and as a foreign exchange student in Russia. Mervyn of course falls in love, is seduced by the KGB, is deported from the country, sneaks back into the country, and fights with every ounce of his soul to be with his beloved fiancée, Mila.

Russophiles will love this families story. Despite the fact that this is a non-fiction book, it reads as nicely as a novel.

Joker One - An Iraq War Memoir worth reading

Joker One is the all-too-true story of a young Marine Lieutenant assigned to the most dangerous city in Iraq in 2004.

The book is very nicely organized with a full list of characters, a map of Ramadi along with the proximity to Baghdad, and a glossary of military terms. It also includes a platoon hierarchy chart.

Lt. Campbell walks the reader through the long process of getting a Marine platoon ready to go to war while facing the very real possibility of any or all of his young Marines dying.

The first half of this book is a slow read unless one is fond of endless military organization and platoon tactics. The second half takes a dramatic, often deadly turn filled with as much action as any war memoir I can recall.

I enjoyed this book by first time author Donovan Campbell because it helped me to truly understand the preparation, sacrifice, and real danger faced by our soldiers everyday. Soldiers, veterans, and anyone wanting to understand a soldiers point of view in this war will find what they are looking for in this book.

Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas' Legendary Casinos

Double or Nothing by Tom Breitling and Cal Fussman

Imagine building an Internet business during the dotcom boom/bust and selling it to Microsoft for millions. Now imagine buying the famous Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas and selling it in less than a year and half for hundreds of millions. Now imagine you are barely in your 30s and you are doing all this with your very best friend. This is the story of one of Las Vegas' most dynamic duos, two young guys from different backgrounds coming together to own the world.

The Book tells the story in autobiographical form of Tom, a simple hard working boy from Minnesota, and his friendship with Tim, a local Vegas boy who has gambling in his blood. The two formed a bond that has lasted throughout the last 20 years and will be around till one of them passes on to the big casino in the sky. The pages of the book offer the reader an insight to a world that most of us will never be in: a world of fast cars, movie stars, corporate jets and millions of dollars wrapped in cellophane being bet on one roll of the dice.

I enjoyed this book and I would have loved to have been a part of the world written in this book. The authors tell this story at about an 8th grade reading level which allows the book to be finished in a few hours. The book is not just about Vegas, it is about a time in financial history that was exciting and may never be duplicated, I hope you enjoy this book.