Featured Reviews

The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State (2015) - William McCants  (Grade:A)

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Brilliant Orange (2000) - David Winner  (Grade:A)

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America 3.0: Rebooting American Prosperity in the 21st Century-Why America's Greatest Days Are Yet to Come (2013) - James C. Bennett  (Grade:A-)

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What We Can't Not Know: A Guide (2003) - J. Budziszewski  (Grade:A)

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Death on a Friday Afternoon: Meditations on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross (2000) - Richard John Neuhaus  (Grade:A+)

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Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. (1965) - Burt Boyar  (Grade:A+)

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Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus (2001) - Rick Perlstein  (Grade:A)

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Advise and Consent (1959) - Allen Drury  (Grade:A)

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Growing Up (1982) - Russell Baker  (Grade:A)

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Bang the Drum Slowly (1956) - Mark Harris  (Grade:A+)

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MOVIE REVIEWS:

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The Lady and the Duke (L'anglaise et le duc) (2001) - Eric Rohmer  (Grade:A+)

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Groundhog Day (1993) - Harold Ramis  (Grade:A)

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Brothers Judd Daily

Brothers Judd QuasiDaily Bookmarks:
03/24/19:

William Morris (1834-96) was born in Walthamstow, ENG on March 24, 1834. Read Orrin's review of The Wood Beyond the World (1895) (Grade: B+)

Akira Kurosawa (1910-99) was born in Tokyo on March 23, 1910. Among his achievements are The Seven Samurai (1954), Ran (1985), Rashomon (1951) and The Hidden Fortress (1958)(basis for Star Wars).

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry (1736-1799) gave his most famous speech: "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.".

Louis [Dearborn LaMoore] L'Amour (1908-88) was born in Jamestown, ND on March 22, 1908

Ovid (43-17 BC) was born at Sulmo, Italy on March 20, 43 BC. Brothers Judd recommends his Metamorphoses.

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) was born in Skien, Norway on March 20, 1828. Read Orrin's review of Peer Gynt (1867)(Henrik Ibsen 1828-1906)(Grade: C+)

Fred Rogers (1928-) was was born in Latrobe, PA on March 20, 1928. He, of course, created Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.

Lois Lowry (1937-) was born in Honolulu, HI on March 20, 1937. Read Orrin's review of The Giver (1993) (Lois Lowry 1937-)

Ornette Coleman (1930) was born in Fort Worth, TX on March 19, 1930. The great music writer Robert Palmer profiled him in this piece Ornette Coleman and the Circle with a Hole in the Middle (Robert Palmer, December 1972, Atlantic Monthly).

Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) first Christian to sneak into Mecca & translator of the Arabian Nights, was born in Devonshire, England, on March 19, 1821. Read Orrin's review of To Your Scattered Bodies Go (1971)(Philip Jose Farmer) (Grade: B+)

Philip Roth (1933-) was born in Newark, NJ on March 19, 1933. Read Orrin's review of American Pastoral (1997)(Philip Roth 1933-) (Grade: B+)

John Updike (1932-) was born in Shillington, Pennsylvania, on March 18, 1932. Read Orrin's review of Rabbit, Run (1960)(Grade: C)

William Gibson (1948-) was born in Conway, SC on March 17, 1948. Read Orrin's review of Neuromancer(1984) (Grade: C+)

Penelope Lively (1933-) was born in Cairo, Egypt on March 17, 1933. Read Orrin's review of her Booker Prize Winner, Moon Tiger (1987)(Grade: B-)

St. Patrick died on March 17, 493 A.D. Visit The Irish in America at PBS

March 17th, 1919 is the birthday of Nat "King" Cole (1919-1965). Although best remembered today as a pop singer from the 50's and 60's, he was, in fact, an influential jazz pianist (and later vocalist). In addition to recording with his own trio...consisting of piano, guitar and bass... which was unique in its time for not having a drummer, he also recorded with such jazz greats as Lester Young, Buddy Rich and Dexter Gordon. In the mid-50's, Cole became the first African American to have his own network TV show (on NBC), which was groundbreaking for the number of black artists who appeared as guests and for the frequent pairing of Cole with white singers and musicians. Despite good ratings, the show was cancelled after one season, leading Cole to crack "Madison Avenue must be scared of the dark." Check out "The Lester Young Trio"; and "The After Midnight Session"

James Madison, author of the Constitution and 4th President of the United States, was born in King George County, Virginia, on March 16, 1751.

March 16th is the birthday of the late, great jazz pianist, Tommy Flanagan (1930-2001). Born in Detroit, Tommy started playing professionally at 15 with other Motor City teenage stars-to-be such as Milt Jackson, Elvin Jones, Thad Jones and Kenny Burrell. By the mid-50's he was considered one of the leading bebop pianists, a position he enjoyed for the rest of his life. In the late 50's, he played on 2 of the most influential and popular albums of all time: Sonny Rollins's "Saxophone Colossus" and John Coltrane's "Giant Steps." Tommy was Ella Fitzgerald's accompanist and music director for many years, but spent the 80's and 90's as a headliner with his own trio (often with some combination of George Mraz or Peter Washington on bass and Lewis Nash or Kenny Washington on drums). His melodically sophisticated, swinging style is well-represented on his 1997 album "Sea Changes."

On March 15, 44 BC Julius Caesar forgot to "Beware the Ides of March" and was assassinated. Read Orrin's review of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (1599)(William Shakespeare 1564-1616) (Grade: A+)