Fixing Hell -By Col. Larry C. James, Ph.D.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Martin, G & P Trucking company driver
Listening Time: 7 hours
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Retail Price: $29.98
Genre: Non-fiction; psychology; medical
Plot: This is a true story about a prison in Iraq run by Americans. Fixing Hell tells about how far the human mind can go and how depraved it can get during critical stressful times. The story tells how we as a human race can inflict pain on others even if we have never done it before.
If you are in a medical or sociological field of study and/or a student of human behavior, you need to hear this audiobook. There are many characters here whose names have been changed for protection and some whose names remain, gleaned from court records. Fixing Hell also tells how war affects people in all different ways. This is not for the faint of heart. There are graphic depictions of the cruel and sexual nature of things the American guards at this prison did to the prisoners.
What was your favorite scene? There are really no favorite parts of this book, for I do not enjoy this type of writing.
Which character was your favorite? There are too many characters to pick from. I really did not get into the story like I should have due to the style of book.
What was the book’s message or theme? The message is clear. It is remarkable how far and how drastically the mind can change given certain situations.
What did you like or dislike? I like that the book was backed up by so much fact, but I did not like the style of the book.
Would you recommend this book to friends? Only if they are in a field where they could reap the benefits of what happened or figure out how to solve the ongoing problems.
Describe the narrator. The narrator, Gregory A. Freeman, was rather boring. He talked pretty much in a monotone voice. It was like going to a college class in psych and sitting through a professor’s dissertation on a paper he wrote.
What would you rate this book (A+ through F)? B
Notables:
The Reapers -By John Connolly
As a child, Louis witnessed the murder of a member of his small, southern community, and the crime made a mark on his life. Even after growing up and moving on, it stays with him and lights a fire in him that burns white and cold.
Years later, what he saw is coming back to haunt him. Someone is hunting him, targeting his home, his businesses and his partner, Angel. The hunter is a vigilante named Bliss, a hunter of hunters, a killer of killers – a Reaper. Louis and Angel strike back, but when they disappear, their friends must band together to find them. They are led by private detective Charlie Parker, a killer himself – and a Reaper in waiting.
Abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs
Simon & Schuster Audio
$29.95
Three Weeks to Say Goodbye -By C.J. Box
After spending years trying to have a baby, Jack and Melissa McGuane think their dreams have finally come true whey they are approved to adopt a child named Angelina. But nine months after bringing her home, they receive devastating news. Angelina’s birth father, a teenager, never signed away his parental rights – and he wants Angelina back. Backed by the clout of his father, a powerful Denver judge, the birth father’s odds of taking the baby back look good.
Jack and Melissa try to handle the situation rationally by meeting with the two, but it becomes immediately apparent that there’s something sinister about them and that Angelina’s safety could be in danger. Jack and Melissa will stop at nothing to protect the child they believe is rightfully theirs. A horrifying game of intimidation and double-crossing quickly becomes a death spiral where no one is safe.
Unabridged, 9 hours on 8 CDs
Macmillan Audio
$39.95
Audiobook Sources
Audible.com, for purchase and download.
Audio Adventures, (800) 551-6692, for 14-day rental of most major titles.
Graphic Audio, (800) 670-5220, www.graphic
