Book Review- "The True History of the Elephant Man." by Michael Howell and Peter Ford

"The True History of The Elephant Man" by Michael Howell and Peter Ford is a short but thorough chronicle of the life and times of Joseph Merrick AKA "The Elephant Man." 

Joseph Merrick was born in Leicester, Great Britain in 1862. For the first few years of his life, Joseph developed normally, but then began showing signs of a still unknown genetic abnormality.

As he got older, Joseph's skin and bones began to thicken and become deformed. Even though it must have been incredibly difficult, Joseph attempted to work at various jobs, but in the end was forced to put himself on exhibition in order to earn enough money to live.

After being robbed by his manager, Joseph willingly put himself under the care of Dr. Frederick Treves and had his own room at London Hospital where he remained for the rest of his life.

At the hospital, Joseph became friends with aristocrats and ordinary people and apparently found a measure of happiness until he passed away at the age of 27.

The story of Joseph Merrick is more than a terrible congenital disease. It is also about the remarkable character of Mr. Merrick himself who remained  a kind soul even after all of the suffering he endured during his life.

Book Review- "Logan's Run" by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson

"Logan's Run" by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson is a science fiction satire of what might happen if the sex, drugs, and rock & roll youth culture of the 1960s actually ran the world.

Sometime in the distant future, mankind lives in domed cities that resemble giant shopping malls. Pleasures of all kinds are available in the domed cities, but only for twenty one years. ( The film version of the novel extended it to 30) After your time is up, the crystal embedded in your palm turns to red and you must submit to euthanasia or "Sleep" as the city authorities like to call it.

Those who  rebel against  euthanasia are called "Runners" and are hunted down and killed by a  police unit called "Sandmen."

"Logan 5" is a Sandman  who goes about his duties until  one day he is given a special assignment to find a mythical destination for runners called "Sanctuary."

Logan's search for sanctuary leads him to discover that the system he has served so faithfully is all based on lies.

Logan's Run is one of my favorite science fiction novels and I think  an enjoyable read for anyone that likes the genre.

My UFO Experience by Craig Zimmerman

When I was eleven years old, I was waiting to catch the school bus when I spotted an unusual flying craft about a half-mile to the north.  Even though it was early, the sun was up and there was no visibility problem. The craft had the classic shape of a "flying saucer" as UFOs were once called and was absolutely not an airplane or any other man-made aircraft that I have ever seen.

The UFO headed west at a relatively slow speed and was soon gone. 

It is fairly easy to speculate about what I saw that day. Was it a secret military aircraft? possibly, but I doubt it.

My own feeling is that the flying craft I saw that day came from another world.

Book Review- " Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse

"Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse is a grim, powerful story of a family of Oklahoma farmers trying to survive the Dust Bowl years of the Great Depression.

For those who don't know, "The Dust Bowl" was the result of poor farming practices and a severe drought. Terrible dust storms that sometimes went on for days, ravaged farms and towns.

After a fire kills her mother, young Billy Jo tries to make a home for her father and herself. In addition to the scars left by the fire, Billy Jo must cope with the endless dust and the near hopelessness of her father's attempt to raise a crop.

Out of the Dust is at times hard to read because of the unrelenting hardships of the period, but there are some happy moments scattered throughout the novel and the story ends on a hopeful note.