Open Borders

Open Borders the Science and Ethics of Immigration was written by Bryan Caplan, an economics professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. In his first graphic novel, he makes a bold case for unrestricted immigration providing the reader with plenty of information on the topic.

The publisher's summary:

American policy-makers have long been locked in a heated battle over whether, how many, and what kind of immigrants to allow to live and work in the country. Those in favor of welcoming more immigrants often cite humanitarian reasons, while those in favor of more restrictive laws argue the need to protect native citizens.

But economist Bryan Caplan adds a new, compelling perspective to the immigration debate: He argues that opening all borders could eliminate absolute poverty worldwide and usher in a booming worldwide economy―greatly benefiting humanity.

With a clear and conversational tone, exhaustive research, and vibrant illustrations by Zach Weinersmith, Open Borders makes the case for unrestricted immigration easy to follow and hard to deny.

The book was entertaining and informative. Before reading this novel I had no idea that there was an economic factor to immigration. The author writes to the layperson so you don't need to know much about economics in order to understand what he is saying. What Caplan says about the economics is that people who emigrate will get jobs and pay taxes. Their children will be well educated and contribute to society. He believes that this is a win win for everyone even if it costs you something up front when they first arrive. 

Some of the author's arguments seemed preachy. In the middle of my read, I realized that he has footnotes at the back of the book for every argument that he makes.  However, there is no notation on the page advising that these notes exist or where he obtained his facts.  I ended up re-reading the book in order to get his, and my own, facts straight. His data comes from good sources and his arguments for open borders are compelling. Caplan mainly argues that low-skilled immigrants should be allowed unrestricted entry into the U. S. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Where the Body Was

I was excited when I found out Net Galley would provide me with a copy of this comic. Author Ed Brubaker writes awesome stories and this one is no different. The story takes place in Summer 1984 in an abandoned boarding house on Pelican Road that junkies have taken over. 

The story opens with an introduction to the boarding house. We meet the couple who were the original owners as well as their neighbors. After they pass on the boarding house falls into disrepair and junkies and other criminals move in. A girl who thinks she is a superhero, wearing a mask and a cape, has a crush on Palmer who is doing drugs with a woman he is sleeping with, Toni. In order to get cash for their fix, the couple burglarize homes. She threatens him with going to the cops if he doesn’t stop. Palmer tells everyone that he is a cop and flashes a badge at anyone whose behavior he does not like. Despite this, I found him to be a sympathetic character. Another character that I liked was Ranko. He is a homeless man who sees everything happens on the street even though no one sees him.

There were alot of characters introduced in the beginning and I didn't even try to remember who was who. I knew I would get them straight during my read which I did. Each of these characters get to narrate their own chapters and the reader begins to see the well crafted plot through their eyes. The body was not introduced in the book until the halfway point. 

Normally I would complain about this but the story was so absorbing that I didn't even notice its absence. 

Where the Body Was is an entertaining mystery that satisfies. Comic fans will want to read this one. 5 out of 5 stars.

Cool Japan Guide

I picked up this graphic novel guide to Japan last month because I will be traveling there in March. It is, as the title suggests, very cool. When you first open the book you are introduced to our guides, Abby Denton and her husband Matt. In each chapter they offer some Japanese words that would be helpful to know, as well as information on hotels, food, Japan apps, festivals, night spots, touristy places, other travel resources and they explain the bath and toilet differences between Japan and the U. S. Unless you see a sign that says "western toilet," you will either get a squatting toilet or a fancy one that cleans and dries too. As the book's back blurb states, this is the first travel guide to be written from a cartoonist's perspective. 

The book looks like a children's comic, but it isn't that at all. I found it easy to read and insightful. Because of the comic strip format, I will most likely remember many of the tips that are shared inside its pages. Another reason that I liked the large format for the comic strips is that my middle aged eyesight needs bigger drawings and dialogue boxes in order to read comfortably. I have often picked up the book to dream about what I can do during my travels. The answers to my ongoing questions about my trip are easily found within its pages and I just love this guidebook.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Golden Voice

The Golden Voice is the story of a Cambodian singer by the name of Ros Sergey Sothea. She was popular during the Vietnam War era, otherwise known in Cambodia as the American War. She disappeared, though, in the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge. Sothea began her working career as a rice farmer but became famous as a rock and roll musician in the 1960s and 1970s. She was also a recording artist who captured the hearts of the Cambodian people. Sothea recorded over 500 songs with her signature angelic voice in several genres from bolero to romantic ballads to psychedelic rock. When Cambodia exploded into a brutal civil war, Sothea's singing career remained prolific, even when she joined the army as one of the country's first female paratroopers. After years of bloody conflict, the communist Khmer Rouge seized control, bringing Cambodia's golden age of music into a dark era of silence. Most artists, including Ros Serey Sothea, were murdered. Her legacy, however, continues to inspire Cambodians today.

This is an eye opening biography. I did not know anything about Cambodia during the Vietnam War era because I was just a kid while it was going on. It was sad to read about the conditions that people had to live with. 

The author's added links to songs Sothea recorded in the front of the book. This was ingenious! I have read biographies of other musicians that did not have this feature and the musicians meant nothing to me. Being able to hear Sothea's singing made her seem more real and complemented my reading experience. The authors also added links throughout the story to Sothea's playlist so the reader can listen to them. I loved this feature. 

The characters spoke three different languages: French, English and Khmer. It wasn't always apparent which side some of the characters were on. By using different colored dialogue boxes the authors made it easy for the reader. Pink boxes were used for Khmer, blue boxes for French speakers and yellow boxes for English. Again, another ingenious feature.

The Golden Voice is the best graphic biography I have ever read. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Where Were You?

Alot of my friends and I have been chatting this morning about where we were when we heard that our 35th President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.  It's something we always remember to talk about every November 22 but today is more special.  It is the 60th anniversary of the assassination.

Where was I?  I was five years old and a student in Kindergarten. None of the class was allowed to leave school because there were fears that the Soviet Union would immediately send missiles our way.  School administrators did not want us to be injured or killed as we walked home from school. Mind you, I lived in a tiny suburb of Chicago that, at the most, is one square mile. It has always been hard for me to believe that any of us would have bee in danger because we would have gotten home in 5 minutes.  The students were herded into a gymnasium and told to get into the tornado duck and cover position.  

My school day normally ended in mid afternoon but I did not get home until 9 pm.  The school secretary typed up release from liability statements for each parent to sign so that the school would not be liable if those Soviet missiles were dropped on us on the way home.  I had never been outside after dark and the sky was incredibly dark at 9 pm.  I was afraid.

The next day my entire family was sitting in the living room watching TV coverage of the assassination.  I remember seeing Lee Harvey Oswald on TV stating that he did not kill President Kennedy and he did not know who did.  He was then taken into the back of the police station in Dallas.  Because I live in Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, I could not distinguish between the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and Kennedy.  We are taught at an early age that the 16th president was from our state and we learned a lot of Lincoln lore over the years.  On November 23, 1963 I remember asking my mother if Oswald killed Lincoln.  I was then told to go into the kitchen.  I guess that is when Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby.  I don't remember seeing him shot but I was definitely standing behind the chairs my parents were sitting in as they watched TV. 

This is my "where were you" story. I think that people my age have a fatalistic look out on life because we were raised to believe that the Soviets would drop a nuclear bomb on us and we would all die. Over the years as I have talked with friends about our childhood we all have said the same thing; that we would die before we were 40 because a nuclear war would happen.  It feels amazing to me that I am now 65 and am alive and kicking.  My siblings, who are 6, 7 and 10 years older than me, have a completely different viewpoint on November 22.  However, the entire country was united in grief in a way that has never happened since then.  9/11 was close, but not the same.

So, my question for you is, where were you on November 22, 1963? 

White Faced Lies

In China, local companies hire white (but not necessarily qualified) Americans to lend them credibility. Cons such as these, known as "face jobs", are instances in which Chinese companies hire foreigners to pose as professionals to lend credibility during meetings, press conferences, and other events where "face" is paramount. This fictional account of one man's experience working in this industry is the subject matter of the book.

Veteran "face-jobber" Stanley Becker has been in China for ten years trying to earn money to build a ranch in China. When a young man, Jared, approaches him and explains that Stanley is his long-lost father, Stanley lets him tag along on jobs. Since some of these jobs are considered two man jobs by employers, Stanley had to find someone anyway to work with him who doesn't need the money.  Stanley needs the entire payment for these jobs in order to keep his ranch so he lets Jared pretend to be his assistant. There is just one problem though. A Chinese factory worker whose brother died from drinking tainted soda wants revenge from the CEO of the soda manufacturer. Stanley posed as this CEO on one of his jobs.

The writers, Eric Flanagan and Sam Voutas, are filmmakers. The book's plot was originally intended to be a movie script. When they realized that China was not a viable shooting location, they decided to make their story into a graphic novel.  It is a funny, fast read that shows how much research they did into this industry.

5 out of 5 stars.