A Nation in Shadows by Michael Q Irwin

A Nation in Shadows by Michael Q Irwin, is a refreshing departure from the evangelical "apocalyptic" calva-baptist banter but is a work that should interest Christian, Jew, or anyone with a spiritual side that is interested in current events. And curious about the possible future of the United States. As political opinion and indictment seems to be raging back and forth these days, this opens a new arena in the debate of ideas. After all, the US was actually a spiritual revolution before it became a nation and its no great revelation that the first settlers (puritans) arrived to escape persecution for their religious persuasions. So why not go back to the roots of American civilization to find out what is going wrong today? As nobody seems to know how to solve our social and thus political problems, any opinion is worth considering.

The book is well researched, at times preachy but balanced with many unconventional yet credible insights. It has a few typos due to being a self published work but while verbose at times is well written. It seems Irwin attempted to include many avenues of thought when researching his subject and he does succeed in making it completely irreligious or non denominational. The knowledge of the Almighty is subconscious instinct not political religion he states. He confronts skepticism, secularism, anti-Semitism, racism, and historical totalitarianism.

There are chapters on Nostradamus, Shoah, social issues, and uses alot of history to compliment the theme of the book. He does little to differentiate between governments born of socialist maxims. Nazism and Marxist regimes are the same to him of which might seem absurd on the surface, but he makes a respectable argument explaining their philosophical parity-and equal degeneracy. While not scholarly, he does display a respectable knowledge of history, religion and the bible in particular with a clear sympathy for Judaic philosophy. It's a scary narrative at times and makes it clear as to what is responsible for the breakdown and madness in western particularly US government.

The book is more of a quasi-philosophical/spiritual treatise and he makes an effort to condemn ideas as opposed to people themselves. Nevertheless it is written to "pick a fight" if read by insecure people. Regardless of spiritual or non religious orientation, its an interesting read and would be of some lasting use in a personal library. His bibliography is interesting too. Its a recommended read and has some inspirational guidelines and advice to "save America" in the later chapters. Its definitely NOT the typical evangelical read (most would probably disagree with much of what he says) but he does accept Jesus -he calls him Yeshua- as Messiah and the Son of the Eternal but most churches might have problems with his messianic/rabbinic Judaism. There is no visible attempt to proselytize or convert and has some humanistic overtones that encourages the reader to use his/her own moral honesty when confronting spiritual issues. He shows considerable admiration for the Jews and is clearly a Zionist although he has some warm words for Arabs of which he calls the other "covenant people of Abraham".

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Ninety Miles - Cuban Journeys in the Age of Castro by Ian Michael James

Although Cuba is only ninety miles from Key West, Florida, the ideological split between the United States and Cuba has been insurmountable since the beginning of Castro's revolution. In this book, the author Ian Michael James concentrates on the lives of three displaced Cubans as he intertwines their stories through the pages. Yet, while doing so, James brings to the forefront the tragic story of a divided country under a dictator's fierce regime where family members have to take heartrending decisions and separate from each other.

With the initiation of a regime that was supposed to free the Cubans but failed miserably to do so, families separated for reasons of political oppression, economical circumstances, or the fear for their lives. This in turn led to the Cubans' different and complicated ways of looking at the events in their lives and those of their compatriots.

Of the three people whose lives are brought to view, the story of Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo is the most political. Eloy fought together with Castro and many other men to bring freedom to his people from the Batista's corrupt regime. When the revolution succeeded and Castro became the new tyrant, Eloy turned against the new government and Castro turned against Eloy. Barely avoiding execution, Eloy spent twenty years in prison. When he came to Miami after being released in 1986, Eloy had mellowed. He thought a dialogue with Castro could be possible. Later on, he could not live away from his fatherland, and he moved back to Cuba.

Paquito D'Rivera was very young when Castro took over Cuba. He had some freedom later on as a musician but not enough opportunities for the achievement he desired as a jazz saxophonist. He defected, leaving his family behind. It took many years for him to see his family again.

Nancy Lledes Espinoza, a chemical engineer, was born in 1962, three years after Castro's revolution. She grew up believing in Castro and his regime. After she fell in love and got married, however, she and her husband started seeing things differently. Eventually, Nancy and her husband defected, although separately, putting their lives in danger and leaving their families behind. Nancy's mother was and still is a staunch defender of Castro.

After an the ink-drawn map of Cuba in its beginning and a preface by the author, Ninety Miles: Cuban Journeys in the Age of Castro holds sixteen chapters, in which the lives of these three people are told, not one by one but all at the same time and interlinked with the chronological events. Still, the story is not confusing because of the masterful narrative and effective language.

The book is in hardcover, 216 pages, and with ISBN-10: 0742540421 and ISBN-13: 978-0742540422.

The author, Ian Michael James, a graduate of Duke and Stanford universities, is a correspondent for The Associated Press and currently their bureau chief in Venezuela, according to the biography given on the inside cover of the book.

This book is written with deep historical and political insight, highlighting the trauma of the Cubans. In addition, it is an exemplary piece of journalistic achievement, and it reads like a suspense story, capturing the reader from its beginning to its end. I highly recommend Ninety Miles: Cuban Journeys in the Age of Castro to anyone who has any amount of interest in this subject.

Joy Cagil is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers

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