Non-Fiction - Biography

The Lifer and the Lawyer: A Story of Punishment, Penitence, and Privilege

George Critchlow & Michael Anderson | Non-Fiction - Biography

Michael Anderson is a broken man; a man broken by his felonies and a justice system that is equally flawed, but will he accept staying broken or undertake the journey to healing and redemption? This is the question cleverly answered in The Lifer and the Lawyer by George Critchlow and Michael Anderson, which chronicles Anderson’s harrowing childhood on Chicago’s South Side, his violent crimes, and his remarkable spiritual transformation over nearly four decades in Washington state prisons. The book explores the evolving friendship between Anderson and George Critchlow, a young, white lawyer assigned to defend him in 1979. Over five decades, their lives intertwine against the backdrop of race,...

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The Lifer and the Lawyer: A Story of Punishment, Penitence, and Privilege

George Critchlow & Michael Anderson (Cascade Books)

| Reviewed by John Grossman

Michael Anderson is a broken man; a man broken by his felonies and a justice system that is equally flawed, but will he accept staying broken or undertake the journey to healing and redemption? This is the question cleverly answered in The Lifer and the Lawyer by George Critchlow and Michael Anderson, which chronicles Anderson’s harrowing childhood on Chicago’s South Side, his violent crimes, and his remarkable spiritual transformation over nearly four decades in Washington state prisons. The book explores the evolving friendship between Anders...

The Cobalt Conspiracy

Richard D. Ross (Steel Door Publishing)

| Reviewed by Yna Erdrich

The Cobalt Conspiracy by Richard D. Ross is a fast-paced, tangled thriller with an irresistible appeal to fans of well-crafted sleuthing and explosive plot points. Reyna Rushmore is an ambitious journalist whose exploration of the centuries-old mining sites in the town of Cobalt, Ontario, should be routine, but then she unearths secrets hidden beneath abandoned shafts. A cryptic trail links the town’s dark past to a billion-dollar EV battery plant. As she investigates the financial and political aspects of the project, she discovers troubling e...

Swallowing the Muskellunge

Lawrence P. O'Brien (LoonCE)

| Reviewed by Cristina Prescott

Swallowing the Muskellunge by Lawrence P. O’Brien is a haunting historical fantasy that blends Black and Indigenous histories with supernatural horror during the years between 1796 and the early 1800s. The novel follows London Oxford, a formerly enslaved man in Massachusetts, and his children, Abner, Annie, and Rachael, as they join the Wright family’s expedition north into Canada. After London’s wife, Jane, dies under mysterious circumstances linked to a malevolent entity, the family becomes ensnared in a terrifying conflict involving ancient...

From Vision to Vitality: Building Transformative Healthcare Organizations

Lawrence Rosenberg (Forbes Books)

| Reviewed by John Grossman

From Vision to Vitality by Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg is a blueprint for transforming healthcare organizations through visionary leadership, innovation, and a human-centered approach. In this book, the author presents practical strategies, leadership principles, and real-world examples from his career, ranging from managing complex surgical cases to leading large-scale healthcare reforms. The book underlines some important themes such as values-driven leadership, the importance of courage and humility, building a culture of continuous improvement,...

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