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Straightjacket

Richard E. Sall

BookSurge (2006)

ISBN 1419630547

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (5/06)

When Dr. Joe Grady refused to write a prescription for painkilling drugs for Trick Edwards, Mr. Edwards called the hospital administrator and threatened to go to the media. Joe is called on the carpet to explain why he denied care to a patient, especially one who threatened to jeopardize funding on the fifty-million dollar expansion planned for Detroit General Hospital. Displeased with Joe’s reasoning, the administrator decides to punish him by making him complete his residency in 30 days. In order to reach that goal, Joe must complete ten major cases during that time. So the race is on.

As Joe struggles to find, and finish, his ten cases, he is also engaged in other struggles. One of them is to persuade Linda to marry him, even though her mother, a whacked-out loon with Mob connections, threatens to have him offed if he doesn’t stay away from her daughter. Another is discovering the reason for a patient’s mysterious death. Is it linked to another death in the hospital, which could mean they have a serial killer loose? His biggest struggle is with the hospital administration as they ruthlessly slash costs, firing nurses and technicians and replacing them with poorly trained and under-supervised drones, who will work for much less money.

I truly enjoyed this book. The characters are well-developed, the dialog is crisp and not too crowded with doctor-speak. I can’t even remember how many times I found myself laughing out loud, especially when reading about Linda’s mother, truly the mother-in-law from hell. There is also an underlying message in this book, as it details just what happens when hospitals start worrying more about the financial bottom line than their patients.

Dill Leaves Maycomb:

Dill leaves Maycomb at the start of September. He went back to his hometown, Meridian town. This leaves Scout without her brother, Dill.

Scout Starts School:

This is Scout’s first year in school. She has been awaiting this event, but it did not take her long to discover that school does not interest her at all. She was excited to learn at school but lost her interest when her teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher, poorly dealt with the child students — herself and her pupils.

Scout and Student-Teacher Conflict:

Scout believes the teacher does not know how to handle children well. Caroline knew that Scout already knows how to read. She presumed that her father taught her. This idea irritated Scout and made her feel guilty about being educated ahead of her peers. During recess break, Scout shares the experience with Jem. Jem takes the whining lightly and tells her Caroline employs a new method of teaching. In the afternoon, the teacher-student relationship becomes increasingly sour.

Scout being Compassionate and her Teacher being Heartless:

Scout’s classmate, Walter Cunningham, did not bring any lunch. Scout sees Caroline and offers the boy a quarter for his lunch, with the agreement that he will return the money the next day. However, Scout knows the boy’s family is poor and she explains this situation to the teacher. Walter would not be able to pay the teacher or even bring lunch in the future because his family is poor. She is aware that Walter’s family only pays her father with turnip greens, nuts, or any other goods whenever they seek legal help from her father. Scout expects understanding from the teacher, but instead Caroline slaps her hand with a ruler.

Scout Quits School:

Scout senses future, further trouble with her teacher and is surprised by how it escalated so quickly. Scout decides not to go back to school after the uncomfortable first day, school experience. She was grateful when class ended so she could go home.

This was a To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter Summary 2; there are 31 chapters in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Disgrace is a novel of a man’s, even a family’s decline. David Lurie is a university teacher, the kind of teacher who was at home with academic material that current course requirements no longer demand. He is also divorced, twice, and even on his best form he has to grapple with the trials and tribulations that his frayed life and career present.

He needs regular sex and visits a prostitute with regularity, always the same one, and harbours suspicions that he provides her with more than just business. He also suffers from self-delusion. So when he has an affair with one of his students, he really believes that she wants him for what he is, despite his thirty years of seniority. He convinces himself that she is a willing participant. It turns sour. She reports him. There is a committee. He cooperates, perhaps, but not in the way required by mores with which he cannot identify. Conveniently, messily, he resigns. And he loses his benefits.

David goes off to live with his daughter in a rural area in the Eastern Cape. He discovers complexities in the relationship between white and black which were at least less apparent in the urban setting of Cape Town. He is willing to make compromises, but it is not going to be easy.

David and his daughter are then viciously attacked. Motives are clear, and then unclear. Relations between the father and daughter, and between the two of them and their black neighbours become difficult and strained. Old scores are being settled, perhaps. Older scores are being tallied. A new world demands that new details of inter-relation and inter-dependence be drawn, except that for David the art seems like freehand. No-one seems to be able to say what they want or what they feel.

To me, Disgrace seems to be about change and how we do or do not cope with it. It’s about how we want to continue asserting, for want of a better word, values – assumptions, perhaps – that might no longer apply. We would only know by reading the unspoken assumptions of others and interpreting them correctly. Disgrace is also about vengeance and punishment, about settling scores, about inclusion and exclusion. The story line is strong, but the overtones are stronger.

Disgrace is a book that presents individual experience and through that manages to comment on change within South Africa and its society, What has changed is not always for the better and what is retained is not always relevant. But these are reactions to assumptions, perhaps, rather than to any external reality, no matter whose it might be. On reflection, the overt simplicity of Disgrace is part of its complexity.

Abel Adams grew up in a Christian home in a quiet town in Maryland. His Aunt Delilah predicted that he would some day be a preacher — little did she know the road he would take to get there. He had the advantage of a loving family, “wise counsel and educational opportunities.” He traded all that for a world of drugs, and crime.

Abel seemed to rebel from early in his childhood. He stole from his family and fought against the consequences. He befriended Yogi even though his mother warned him that “he looked like bad news.” Following in his friend’s steps he began using drugs. The two stole a motorcycle and ran away from home, leaving a trail of crime along the way. “My parents are probably worried sick and I don’t even know why I left.” He turned himself in and his parents picked him up, but their relationship became more strained instead of better. Abel’s drug use turned to LSD and wine. He began selling to support his habit.

One day Abel met a Prophet of God. The man told Abel about Jesus and asked him to read Isaiah 53. As Abel walked about he heard the Prophet say, “Brother, you’re living in a grace period. You never know when it will run out.” Abel didn’t listen and continued down the path of destruction. From armed robbery to insurance fraud to a satanic cult, Abel was spiraling downward. Even joining the military didn’t stop Abel’s drug use.

Eventually Abel’s Aunt Delilah’s prediction came true. Abel knew that God loved him and that Jesus Christ would set him free. But the real change came in jail. Abel was going through withdrawal but it was more than that, his eyes were yellow, he was very ill. Abel was told he’d be “dead by Christmas.” He reached for his Bible and began to read, “For whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” “God gave Abel the gift of forgiveness and the ability to forgive others. God gave him the ability to love those who had hurt him. These two gifts – forgiveness and love – were his salvation, his grace.” Abel’s life would never be the same, “Praise God, it would never be the same!”

“Grace Period” by Robert Hammond is one of those stories that you will never forget. Mr. Hammond is an extremely talented author. He has the amazing ability to pull the reader into the story. From the moment I began to read “Grace Period” I was hooked, I didn’t lay this one down until I’d read every word. I’m not sure any review can do justice to this amazing story. Abel Adams comes to life on the pages, each of us will see a bit of ourselves in the character. We don’t have to use drugs or steal things to see badly we need the saving grace of Jesus. The cover is beautifully done, darkness with a hint of light and an abstract arrow tease the reader to what they will find inside. I did find a few editing mistakes but have no other criticisms. Well-done Mr. Hammond! I highly recommend this book to everyone.

iUniverse (2007)

ISBN 9780595681426

Walter Marsh, owner of the historic and legendary Century Club found himself in a dilemma. His deposit from an out-of-state investor’s group on their option for the club property was nearly all spent. The option was ready to expire. Business was at its lowest ebb. A major convention center complex was in the planning stages. Local political forces were in a battle for control and needed Walter’s property.

Rolnick has fully developed a cast of colorful characters to keep a fast-paced plot moving forward. Walter Marsh calls on lawyer Benjy Bluestone for advice. Smart and stunning, Delia Torres represents a local developer.

Add a few high rollers in Miami real estate and political circles, a mentally-challenged bodyguard chauffer, a novice newspaper reporter, a Bahamian-American politician, and a Cuban cigar importer, and you get the idea of the complex direction and zany antics that follow. Greed, political power, legal maneuvers, and romantic trysts are interwoven into an engrossing plot that replicates the TV series “Miami Vice,” with an on going comedic, satire and tongue in cheek humor.

The setting is Miami with Ponzi schemes; investment fraud and real estate deals draw people from the Midwest, the Northeast, and the state of Texas to get into the action and to own their bit of Florida’s paradise. The plot is powered by quick-witted dialog which reveal the character of the protagonist. Benjy is laid back, with a basic inner sense of doing the right thing. He is loyal and stubborn in addition to laid back but has a fear of failing by following in his father’s footsteps.

Alan Rolnick is a practicing attorney, influenced and motivated by the writing of Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, and Dave Barry. Alan feels that the legal profession produces natural storytellers, and felt compelled to write a novel. “Landmark Status” is the result.

Alan’s writing is entertaining, and witty. Transitions flow naturally, his characters are easily recognizable and memorable. I was pleasantly surprised at the insight I gained into the land development and real estate industry in South Florida. Another aspect I enjoyed was a glimpse into the historical origins of Miami, and the ethnic influence in the politics of Miami.

I was hooked from the opening wrecking ball to the final explosion.

I am sure that in the near future, attorney Alan H. Rolnick, will be reviewing contracts for the movie rights to “Landmark Status” and will be moving on to write a series of stories based on the legal shenanigans of lawyer Benjy Bluestone. I am looking forward to the sequel.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (11/07)