My Alien Life by J. Martain - Audiobook Review

Title: My Alien Life; a Novelette (Audiobook)

Author: J. Martain

Narrator: April Doty

Publisher: BooksGoSocial Audio

Publication Date: December 22, 2022

Length: 1 hour, 1 minute

About the Author
 J. Martain is a coastal North Carolina native who spends most of her time questioning the way the universe and all the beings in it work. Her characters are sometimes human, sometimes not, but they prefer not to be judged on that criteria.

Family Drama and Promise Keeping Young Lynette did not remember her mother. She was raised in rural North Carolina by her hard-working father. When Lynette's father died, the only relative willing to take Lynette was her great, great Aunt Magnolia. Lynette was nine years old and Aunt Mag promised to stay alive until Lynette was sixteen years old.

This is the poignant story of Lynette's seven years with her Great-great-aunt Magnolia Rose McClellan, the oldest sister of her mother's great-grandmother. Aunt Mag didn't have very much money, but she taught Lynette the meaning of love, commitment, and family.

The narration of the audiobook is very good. The southern dialect makes the characters come to life.

My Thoughts I listened to the audiobook and I also read a digital copy of the book. The narration of the audiobook is awesome and I enjoyed listening to the story. The characters were very authentic and I felt great empathy for Lynette, especially after her father died. I was not sure about her future with Aunt Mag, but the more I listened the more I realized that Lynette was in the right place.

Aunt Mag was totally committed to raising Lynette and keeping her promise. This short story will make your heart smile.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out of 5

Thank you to NetGalley for a wonderful listening experience.

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Factfulness - Things Are Better Than You Think

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

 Author: Hans Rosling

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publication Date: April 3, 2018

Length: 341 pages









About the Author
Hans Rosling was a medical doctor, professor of international health and renowned public educator. Mr. Rosling died in 2017, having devoted the last years of his life to writing Factfulness. 

"We are on the cusp of immense possibilities".
Hans Rosling believes that we are, historically speaking, at the best possible time in human history. 

Mr. Rosling bases his claims on publicly available data compiled by organizations like the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the World Bank.

Many people think the world is divided into two types of countries: developed and developing. This approach of dividing the world into two categories is now outdated and fundamentally wrong. It blindly labels countries as rich and poor and this leads to people making some poor assumptions about the problems the rest of the world may be facing.

There are about seven billion people living in the world today. The author divided the world into the following four levels of income;

• Level 1: Average income per person is about $1 per day. Roughly 1 billion people in the world live like this today.
• Level 2: Average income per person is about $4 per day. About 3 billion people in the world fall into this category.
• Level 3: Average income per person is about $16 per day. About 2 billion people in the world are in this situation.
• Level 4: Average income per day is about $64 per day. About 1 billion people in the world fall in this category.

A vast majority of the world's population is spread out across Levels 2 and 3. This is a much more accurate way to look at the world than the popular "we" vs. "them" narrative.

My Thoughts

I learned about this book on Bill Gates' blog and decided to put in a request for this selection at my public library. I waited several months for the opportunity to read this book but found it well worth the wait.

I believe this book is extremely interesting and informative. Mr. Rosling provides many charts and graphs that illustrate the data he has collected about the living conditions of people around the world. In terms of health, nutrition, income, vaccination, sanitation, and many other parameters, the world is in much better shape than ever before.

I agree with the author that the selective reporting of "bad news" in the media has led us into an extremely negative mindset. Unfortunately, the media does not highlight the positive aspects adequately and we end up suffering from an irrational fear that the world is becoming increasingly dangerous. Our journalists need to develop a less dramatic and more fact-based method of reporting world events.

This book is not attempting to provide us with an unrealistically glowing vision of the world. Instead, it uses facts and hard data to show us that although there are serious problems in the world, we are still much better off than many of us imagine.

Bill Gates described this book as "one of the most important books I have ever read...an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world". This book was a real eye-opener for me. Highly recommended!

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

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Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Author: J.D. Vance

Publisher: Harper

Publication Date: June 28, 2016

Length: 272 Pages









About the Author
J.D. Vance grew up in the Rust Belt city of Middletown, Ohio, and the Appalachian town of Jackson, Kentucky. He enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school and served in Iraq. A graduate of the Ohio State University and Yale Law School, he has contributed to the National Review and is a principal at a leading Silicon Valley Investment firm.

White, Working and Poor in America
J.D.'s grandparents moved north from Kentucky's Appalachia region to Ohio in hopes of escaping the devastating poverty around them. His family struggled to adjust to their new middle-class status. His mother was never able to escape the legacy of abuse, addiction, poverty and trauma that was so characteristic of her childhood years in Appalachia. Mr. Vance lived a very chaotic childhood and was passed around to numerous family members while his mother struggled with drug addiction and moved different men in and out of her home.

J.D. decided to join the Marines when he graduated from high school. When he left the Marines, he used his military education benefits to attend Ohio State University. He eventually graduated from Yale Law School and learned that social mobility involves much more than acquiring money.

“social mobility isn’t just about money and economics, it’s about a lifestyle change. The wealthy and the powerful aren’t just wealthy and powerful; they follow a different set of norms and mores. When you go from working-class to professional-class, almost everything about your old life becomes unfashionable at best or unhealthy at worst.” 

My Thoughts
I chose this book because it was on the Bill Gates book list for 2017. 


I was extremely touched by the childhood experiences that are described in this book. Mr. Vance is truly a survivor and overcomer. He credits his grandparents, sister and other family members for being there for him when his mother was unable or unwilling to take care of him.

“For kids like me, the part of the brain that deals with stress and conflict is always activated...We are constantly ready to fight or flee, because there is a constant exposure to the bear, whether that bear is an alcoholic dad or an unhinged mom....I see conflict and I run away or prepare for battle.”

The author believes his years in the U.S. Marine Corp gave him the confidence and skills he needed to overcome his chaotic childhood and set realistic goals for the future. 

Mr. Vance met his future wife at Yale and she became an excellent mentor and friend during his years in law school. He is now a practicing attorney and appears to have a very bright future indeed. However, sometimes things are not as they seem to outsiders. 

“That is the real story of my lift, and that is why I wrote this book. I want people to know what it feels like to nearly give up on yourself and why you might do it. I want people to understand what happens in the lives of the poor and the psychological impact that spiritual and material poverty has on their children. I want people to understand the American Dream as my family and I encountered it. I want people to understand how upward mobility really feels. And I want people to understand something I learned only recently: that for those of us lucky enough to live the American Dream, the demons of the life we left behind continue to chase us.”

This book is informative and inspiring. I am sure that many have walked a similar path as described in this book. The author was able to eloquently express the emotions and vulnerability that he feels as a result of his childhood experiences.

Dr. Phil frequently says, "There's an old saying in Texas: You gotta rise above your raisin'." 
This book shows you how.

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

FYI - I borrowed this book from my public library.

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Innocent Man Spends Three Decades on Alabama's Death Row

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (Oprah's Book Club Summer 2018 Selection)

Author: Anthony Ray Hinton and Lara Love Hardin

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: March 27, 2018

Length: 273 Pages


About the Author
Anthony Ray Hinton spent nearly thirty years on death row for crimes he didn't commit. Released in April 2015, Hinton now speaks widely on prison reform and the power of faith and forgiveness.

Guilty Until Proven Innocent
In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with armed robbery, kidnapping and the murders of two fast food workers in Alabama. He knew that it was a case of mistaken identity and believed that the truth would prove his innocence and ultimately set him free.

But with no money and an unfair system of justice for a poor black man in the South, Hinton was sentenced to death by electrocution.

This is a memoir of Mr. Hinton's experiences on death row and how he was eventually exonerated by the United States Supreme Court. The state of Alabama dropped all charges against him.

My Thoughts
This is the story of blatant and intentional racism and discrimination. Anthony Ray Hinton was charged with murder because of the color of his skin and his inability to hire a competent defense attorney.

"You know, I don't care whether you did or didn't do it. In fact, I believe that you didn't do it. But it doesn't matter. If you didn't do it, one of your brothers did. And you're going to take the rap." Lieutenant Acker of Birmingham Police Department

Mr. Hinton was found guilty of murder by a jury and given a life sentence in prison. A judge overruled the jury and changed the sentence to death by electrocution.

The author spent his first three years on death row in silence. He was a Christian man and could not understand how God could allow something like this to happen. His heart was full of anger and revenge toward the people who had sent an innocent man to death row.

The beautiful thing about this story is how the author eventually became a shining light of hope for the other prisoners on death row. Mr. Hinton started reaching out to other prisoners. He got permission to start a book club and prisoners were allowed to read and discuss books. He tried to keep a positive attitude despite many discouraging years of fighting for freedom in the legal system. 

"I forgive because not to forgive would only hurt me." Anthony Ray Hinton

The author credits his faith in God, his mother's unconditional love, the loyalty of his best friend and an excellent attorney from the Equal Justice Initiative for his eventual exoneration and release from death row.

Anthony Ray Hinton was the 152nd person exonerated from death row in the United States since 1973 and the sixth in the state of Alabama. He is now a poster boy for all that is broken in our criminal justice system. 

Our pledge of allegiance..."one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." That should be our vision for the future. 

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

FYI ~ I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

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Delirious? By Martin Smith

Martin Smith opens up his heart and tells the story of his life as a worship leader with the contemporary Christian band Delirious?.  "Delirious: My Journey with the Band, a Growing Family, and an Army of Historymakers" tells about Martin's childhood days growing up in a middle-class Christian home in England. He learned to play a guitar at a young age and started leading worship in his home church as a teenager. He married Anna, a pastor's daughter, and became involved in his church's outreach events. 
In 1995, Mr. Smith was involved in a near-fatal car accident.  During his weeks of recovery, he decided to become a full-time musician. He became the lead singer for the band Delirious? and his career quickly took off.  Martin and the other members of the band were talented song writers as well as performers.  The band toured all over the world and drew huge crowds at Christian events.
The author honestly tells about the many advantages and trials that come with touring and being a member of a popular Christian band.  He is brutally honest about some of the challenges that they faced.  He is very quick to give God all the glory for the success that he and the band experienced.  It was important for him to stay connected to his home church and to limit his touring schedule to not exceed ten days at a time.  Mr. Smith expressed the difficult feelings that he had to face when he left his wife and six children to travel with the band.
Joyce Meyer invited the members of Delirious? to lead worship at their conferences in the United States and abroad.  Mr. Smith writes about how his life was changed when the band traveled to India to lead worship for a Joyce Meyer conference with over four hundred thousand people in attendance. The author met Farin, the daughter of a prostitute living in a Mumbai slum. This girl was the same age as one of his daughters, and without help she too would end up facing life as a sex worker.  Mr. Smith felt the Lord calling him to help the poor people in India.  He organized CompassionArt to raise money to help relieve the extreme poverty in third world countries.
The last part of the book tells about the transition period that Mr. Smith and his family are experiencing since the band broke up.  His faith is stronger than ever and the future is bright for this talented musician. 
On a personal note, I first saw Martin Smith leading worship at a Joyce Meyer conference in November, 2010. The huge crowd of worshipers at Lakewood Church were on their feet the entire time that Mr. Smith led the worship.  I wrote about this experience on this blog in a post named, "Joyce Meyer Washes Feet."  Joyce was teaching from John 13: 1-17 and acted out the story of Jesus humbling himself and washing his disciples' feet. She asked Martin Smith to sit down in a chair, take off his shoes and socks so that she could wash his feet. 
This book is fascinating and inspirational.  I was touched by Mr. Smith's strong faith in Christ during his long journey with Delirious? and beyond. 

Thank you to The B & B Media Group for sending me a free copy of this book to review.

Coming Soon:  I am currently reading Meet Mrs. Smith: My Adventures with Six Kids, One Rockstar Husband, and a Heart to Fight Poverty. This book was written by Martin Smith's wife and tells about her experiences. I will be posting my review of this book soon!

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.