Charles Ashbacher Reviews

 Review of The Color Of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap, by Mehrsa Baradaran ISBN 9780674237476 Five out of five stars The long-term consequences of racism  It has been approximately fifty years since federal laws were passed making discrimination in housing and financial transactions illegal. Yet, the racial wealth gap persists. One of the most amazing and explanatory data points I have ever heard is about the consequences of the 2008 financial meltdown on black people versus white people. As a consequence of the meltdown, black people lost approximately 53% of their wealth while white people lost a more modest level of roughly 17%.   This was primarily due to black people having a higher percentage of their assets in their home than white people. It is also due to predatory lending practices by companies that perform actions such as payday loans, where short-term loans are made at very high rates of interest.   Baradaran traces the history of...

  Review of The Contract by Derek Jeter, ISBN 9781481423137 Four out of five stars Semi-autobiographical The main character is a boy named Derek Jeter and his dream is to play shortstop for the New York Yankees. It is stated on the back cover that the story is inspired by baseball star Derek Jeter’s childhood. Given the course of the tale, that seems reasonable. While the young Jeter is a very good baseball player, he finds it necessary to accept being placed in a position other than shortstop.   That position is held by the son of his Little League coach, a boy that has many rough edges, some of which are an air of superiority and a propensity to criticize teammates, Young Jeter is forced to swallow a bit of pride in not responding to the slights.   Success is schoolwork is also stressed throughout. Young Jeter’s desire to succeed extends into his schoolwork. After getting what was for him was a low score on a math test, he makes a concerted effort to get a ...

  Review of Jim Murray: An Autobiography , by Jim Murray, ISBN 0025881515 Five out of five stars So much more than a sports columnist   The title describes Jim Murray as a “Pulitzer prize winning sports columnist.” Which is true but only gives a glimpse of what he has accomplished in his career as a writer. His achievements beyond the sports arena are impressive and significant enough that even the non-sports enthusiast will find the book entertaining.   For example, he traveled with Richard Nixon during the 1952 presidential election campaign when he was the candidate for Vice President under Dwight Eisenhower. Murray was there during those fateful days when there was doubt whether Eisenhower would keep or dump Nixon.   The first chapter is called, “I Saw Ruth Hit a Home Run,’ a demonstration on how far back Murray’s interest and involvement in sports runs. He gives the reader an in-depth description of the Dodgers move to LA and their early years playin...

  Review of No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories , by Lee Child, ISBN 9780399593574 Five out of five stars A character with a moral code but no real bounds   While I have encountered many references to the Jack Reacher character over the years, this is the first time I have read a story where he is featured. It is clear why he appeals to so many, he is willing to put himself on the line in order to right wrongs. Reacher has a strict moral code yet will not hesitate to commit great violence in order to carry out something that will either right a wrong or keep one from happening.   No action, including murder is beyond his list of what he will do. The stories bounce through Reacher’s life. There is one where he is a teenager in New York City when there is a blackout and chaos, looting and other crimes become the environment. Like all other situations he finds himself in, Reacher proves equal to the task of staying alive and defending ...

  Review of The Quantum Spy, by David Ignatius, ISBN 9780393254150 Five out of five stars The real prize of tech competition   What makes this book significant and most interesting is that it is based on what is the real brass ring of international technology competition. While most of the commentary concerning international competition focuses on the development of artificial intelligence, (AI), the real brass ring is the development of a functioning quantum computer. Such a computer would immediately make the current encryption techniques obsolete as the speed of problem solving would increase several thousand times to a speculated 100 million times faster. This increase in speed will also put the solutions to many complex problems within reach. It is not unreasonable to say that any major breakthrough in quantum computing could be worth trillions of dollars.   The premise of this book is an emphasis on the competition between the United States and the People...