My Current Interest

                When I first started to pay attention to men’s tennis ten or so years ago, I never thought I would be interested in John McEnroe.   He drove me crazy.   Which is why I am greatly surprised that over the past couple of years he has become one of only two, occasionally three, commentators I do not mute on sight.   I have already read and enjoyed the books from Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.   Having a new found interest in Mr. McEnroe, I remembered he put out a book awhile back and I decided to give it a shot.                 I was very excited when I picked the book up from the library.   Despite this, it took me a little while to get into.   Not too long, but longer than I expected.   Now, some of this may have had to do with other things going on in my life at the time versus what I was reading.   In any case, I did not get fully involved in the book until one of my Friday night insomnia moments.   I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning drinking in every word.   Gett

        There are tons of books out there about different historical times, and new stories and facts seem to be found every day.   Which is why I was greatly interested in Hiding in the Spotlight: A Musical Prodigy’s Story of Survival, 1941-1946 .   It is the real life story of Zhanna Arshanskaya, written by her son Greg Dawson.   This book reveals the story of how two Jewish girls survived the war by playing the piano.           The book begins with Zhanna as a young girl.   She talks about her early life in Ukraine and how she and her sister Frina come to play the piano.   They play throughout their childhood until World War II begins.   After escaping from a situation of imminent death, the girls change their names and do their best to live as non-Jewish citizens.   After awhile their talent with the piano is discovered and they are made to play for the enemy that killed their family.   They live in fear every single day their true identity will be discovered, and even run into p

Photo of DVD cover taken by Kate Dorsey In the seventh grade my house got together in the theatre every few months and watched a movie.   12 Angry Men was one of them.   At twelve years old I was instantly hooked.   Released in the 1950’s and shown in black and white, I was captivated not only by the jury process, but also by the different characters.   Each man is unique with distinct characteristics.                 Set in a jury room, twelve men must determine whether or not to declare a young defendant innocent or guilty of killing his father.   Eleven of the men immediately declare guilty, which, to my understanding, would sentence the defendant to death.   There is one man, portrayed by Henry Fonda, who stands alone.   He is not certain and pushes the other men to reconsider the evidence and their views.                 As I stated earlier, much of my interest lies in the characters.   So much about each one is revealed in a very short time.   Beliefs and prejudices about wher