Book Review: 'Spare Parts' by Joshua Davis

✰✰✰✰½ Four teenagers, who live with the constant threat of deportation, two dedicated teachers, and one simple, underwater robot come together in this inspiring story of street smarts, ingenuity, courage, teamwork, and unlikely friendship. These kids didn’t have a choice in coming to America; their parents brought them in the hopes of living a better life. As they grew up, these kids identify as American and remember very little about their lives in Mexico, and yet America isn’t eager to claim them.

Faced with stereotypes and misperceptions about immigrants, these four teens beat the odds and outperformed some of the most privileged students in the country to win a prestigious robotics competition. More importantly, these teens garnered respect from their peers and brought national attention to the plight of many children who were brought to this country illegally by their parents. This is their story, one of hope and struggle.

The Bottom Line: This inspiring tale makes discussing tough topics like immigration approachable. Written in short chapters, this is a quick read. The author makes the topics of technology and robotics easily understandable. Highly recommended reading for students in and teachers of high school and college. Also of interest to those in politics, science, and technology.

Book Club Notes: This book turned out to be a surprise hit with our group. It was written in approachable language, and chapters were small. The book created an open dialogue for a respectful discussion about some hot topics like immigration. We noted that there are many layers to the immigration dilemma. For example, should children who are brought to the U.S. illegally be treated the same as the adults who made the decision for them? Although we did not have any solutions to current immigration issues, we are more aware of the situation and able to converse about it. Although this book was published ten years ago, it remains current today.

Many in our group were naturally drawn to the story of Oscar Vazquez. Thank you, Oscar, for your service to America.

The movie was enjoyable for entertainment purposes. While the movie did a good job of maintaining the themes of the book, it did take certain creative liberties. We discussed the differences in the movie ending versus the book. Overall, on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest, the book rated 4.6 and the movie 4.5! Highly recommended for everyone.

Discussion questions are readily available online at Reading Group Guides, Teach with Movies, and the Kansas State University faculty guide. 

Details: Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream by Joshua Davis. Paperback published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2014. 224 p. ISBN: 978-0-374-53498-1 

Book Review: 'The Accidental Billionaires' by Ben Mezrich

✰✰✰✰½ When two Harvard students met at a party little did they know they would eventually change the way people connect. One was a brilliant computer programmer with an idea, and the other was a budding businessman with a large bank account. What Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin had in common were social challenges. Mark was painfully quiet and talked like a computer, and although Eduardo struggled to get a date, he took the plunge to join the Phoenix, a Final Club.  

Nevertheless, Mark and Eduardo made a deal. Mark was the brains behind the project, and Eduardo was the money. What could go wrong? After all they were friends, and friends look out for each other, right? Throw in a hunky pair of twins with an idea for a similar website, and now it gets interesting.

Mark lived for Facebook. So much so that he decided to leave college and head to California. Eduardo, on the other hand, would never leave school based on a dream. Enter the infamous Sean Parker, who quickly became a mentor to Mark, and things changed quickly. Loyalties were displaced, as newcomers tried to grab onto the lightning bolt that was Facebook. When all was said and done, innocence was lost, and no one would be the same. 

The Bottom Line: Discover the fascinating story behind the founding of Facebook with this entertaining book. Based on interviews, documents, court proceedings, and scene re-creations, this fascinating account of the beginnings of a revolutionary company will get you thinking about relationships, money, and privacy. The perfect read for a snowy weekend. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys biographies, business, and stories of betrayal. 

Book Club Notes: This was a great book/movie to start the year. Most of the group had been on Facebook; some have even left for other sites making for an interesting discussion. There is so much to talk about that questions weren't really necessary. This was one of those discussions that was a conversation. 

Additionally, we really liked that the movie, The Social Network. It was quite true to the book. So much has happened since this book was first published that it's interesting to do some searches online to see what everyone is currently up to. For example, did you know that the Winklevoss twins have a cover band? It was no surprise to discover that everyone has been busy with various projects. Both the book and movie are enthusiastically recommended for book clubs. On a scale of 1 -5, we rated both an average of 4.25.

Details: The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich. Paperback published by Anchor Books in 2010. 272 p. ISBN: 978-0-307-74098-4 

Book Review: 'Hedy's Folly' by Richard Rhodes

✰✰✰ Hedy Lamarr was known for her glamour and beauty. During MGM's "Golden Age" she was a much sought after actress starring alongside Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Victor Mature. But there was more to Ms. Lamarr than Hollywood parties and fancy dresses. Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in 1914 in Austria, Hedy always wanted to be an actress, and after a short, unhappy marriage to munitions manufacturer Fritz Mandl, Hedy made her way to America.

In between filming movies, Hedy enjoyed inventing. Her hobby took off when she met composer George Antheil. When America entered World War II, both the actress and the composer were inspired to help in any way they could. The result of their collaboration was a patent application for a Secret Communication System, which featured "frequency hopping." This technology later became known as spread spectrum communication technology which we still use today for GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth devices. It's amazing to think that the smartphones we depend on today rely on an idea that came from "the most beautiful woman in the world."

The Bottom Line: This book is part biography about Hedy Lamarr, part biography of George Antheil, and part science text. It is an interesting look at how everything came together at the right time to bring about a technology we depend upon today. Readers interested in women of science will find this slim book fascinating. However, fans of Hedy Lamarr looking for salacious tidbits of her Hollywood life and numerous marriages will have to look elsewhere.

Book Club Notes: Many of our members were fans of Hedy Lamarr and very familiar with her work as a Hollywood film star. We were all excited to learn about this amazing technology and lost piece of history. However, several members thought the title was misleading. As noted above, this book has three parts to it, and information about Hedy's glamorous life in Hollywood is limited. Several members were discouraged by the dry writing style. Also the technology was difficult to understand at times.

On a scale from 1 - 5, our ratings ranged from 2 - 5 with a group average of 3 stars. Recommended for book clubs interested in science, technology, and the contributions of women in science. This is not a well known topic, but a very worthy one. Our discussion was supplemented with talk about the movies Ms. Lamarr starred in. I also shared information about the patent. Book clubs interested in discussing this title can find a discussion guide at LitLovers.

Additionally, I created a few extra questions to add to the discussion: 

1.) What were your impressions of Hedy Lamarr before reading this book? Did these change after reading this title? 

2. What is invention? What is discovery? How are they similar or different? 

3.) What would George Antheil think about recent technology in music?  

4.) It was during her marriage to Fritz Mandl that Ms. Lamarr learned about weapons over dinner conversations. Were Hedy's ideas original or mostly borrowed? 

5.) Why did it take so long for Hedy to receive the recognition she deserved? 

6.) How would things be different today if Hedy's ideas of frequency hopping had been adopted earlier by the military? 

7.) Does anyone in the group invent or tinker?  

Finally, for those interested in learning more about Ms. Lamarr and her invention, there is a new documentary film out by Zeitgeist Films. Our group met before the release date, but many of us were interested in viewing it at a future date.

Details: Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr The Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Richard Rhodes. Paperback published by Vintage Books in 2011. 262 p. ISBN: 978-0-307-74295-7