Newton's Gift by David Berlinski

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

Newton's Gift was an educational, inspiring read. Sir Isaac Newton was extremely gifted, and he is an
example of one who finds his true calling. (It definitely wasn't to be a farmer.) This book attempts to not only biograph him, but also explain some of the theorems he discovered in simple language and diagrams. It is a good read for history and math buffs.

Genre: biography, non-fiction

Setting: life of Isaac Newton

Introduction:

Sir Isaac Newton is the father of modern physics and one of the greatest scientists of the eighteenth century. But you wouldn't expect him to be good at much else besides thinking and reading. As an adolescent, nobody recognized Newton's great mind for what it was. Newton often kept to himself; he'd go out to tend sheep and they would wander off while he would be obliviously reading. When his tutors finally convinced his mother to send him to college, Newton was the best student at Cambridge and took his education seriously while others only saw college as a place to live while they spent their college money on other diversions. Newton dabbled in alchemy and Cartesian algebra and a myriad of other subjects, and with that knowledge he would make great discoveries.

Themes: education is important, work smarter not harder

Recommended Age: 13 and up

Rating: 4 stars

Bad Guys of the Book of Mormon by Dennis Gaunt

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

This book is an insightful book about the wicked men of the Book of Mormon. Dennis Gaunt discusses where the villains of the Book of Mormon went wrong, the parallels Satan still uses in our world today, and even how we ourselves are like these bad guys sometimes and what to do about it.

Genre: Nonfiction/faith

Setting: Book of Mormon/Present day

Introduction:

If you've ever wondered how the Book of Mormon is relevant to our day, then read this book. This book talks about infamous figures from the Book of Mormon such as Amalickiah, Omni, Akish and the Jaredites-- even Alma the Younger! In this book, you will realize that in our day there are still secret combinations, Nehors, spacious building-archetypes, and other traps that Satan uses against us. But this book isn't just a field guide to wickedness-- its purpose is to arm us against sin and corruption. The lessons in this book make it a weapon-- against the evil of the world. This book is essential for understanding the strategies of both sides in the war we are fighting against evil.

Themes: study the scriptures, follow the prophet, pay attention in seminary

Recommended Age: 11 and up

Full Disclosure:

This book is written mainly for pre-teens and teens-- you may want to simplify some things if you have little kids and want to use this in a family home evening lesson-- which I recommend.

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  Bad Guys of the Bible, Warning Signs, Feeding Consuela

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Autobiography)

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

Genre: Autobiography

Time Period: World War II

Introduction:

Viktor Frankl is a renowned Jewish psychiatrist famous for the concept of logotherapy, that man's drive is not power or reproduction but seeks those things and others in their true purpose to find the meaning of life. He illustrates this concept by first detailing his experience in a Nazi concentration camp and how his tribulation helped him develop his theory and find deeper meaning in life.

Viktor could have left for America and avoided the whole thing. However, he would have had to leave his parents behind. Reading the first of the Ten Commandments, he decided to honor his father and mother by not abandoning them, even though this meant that he and his family would surely be taken by the Nazis for it.

Separated from his wife, children and parents, Viktor lived in a mens' concentration camp, he finds that the inmates go through three stages: upon entry, they are shocked, and gradually become apathetic and develop a survival-of-the-fittest mentality. When they are in their final stage, if they have not given up entirely on surviving, they become worse creatures than their captors, seeking vengeance to vent their bitterness and justifying cruelty because they have suffered worse cruelties.

Themes: our true purpose is to find it, men must not let the injustice inflicted upon them to turn them amoral

Recommended Age: 14 and up

Full Disclosure:

There is some nudity and occasional swearing. The experiences described are extremely sad and horrifying.

Rating: 4 stars

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (autobiography)

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

Benjamin Carson, M.D. is arguably the most talented and successful surgeon in the world. He has saved countless lives and has changed the perception of black people in the world. His autobiography tells how he worked hard to become who he was and all the obstacles he had to face.

Genre: Autobiography

Time Period: 1959-1986

Plot

When Ben Carson is eight, his mother finds out that his father is cheating on her and so they divorce, leaving Sonya Carson a single mom of two. Ben explains his early life: coping with not having a father, being ostracized for being black, and how his mother, who had a third grade education and couldn't read, took it upon herself to educate him and made him read until he was at the top of his class in school, and how he and his brother Curtis became top students when before they hadn't considered themselves to be smart, blaming the color of their skin. He discusses how religious he is and how God helped him throughout his life to get a good education, control his anger and deal with racism. He talks about his college experience and the tests he had to study for and when he met his wife and how he saw the hand of the Lord in everything. As a medical doctor he performs many revolutionary and successful surgeries which change understanding of neurosurgery, neuroscience and the field of medicine. A famous example is the separation of two twins joined at the head performed by him and his team. The surgery was almost unsuccessful but in the end the twins miraculously survived.

Themes: You are the master of your destiny, race doesn't matter, trust in God

Recommended Age: 12 and up

Full Disclosure:

Anti-black racial slurs. There are also descriptions of surgeries which are not inappropriate but may cause squeamishness.

Rating: 4 stars