Summer Reading

So when do we, as adults, get summer vacation? It seems that the powers that be set us up for disappointment at a very young age. Start school in August- this was before it was required to have air-conditioning- have various breaks during the next 9 months, and then we are rewarded for our labor by having the summer off. Perhaps the French have it right as they take the month of August off. For those who have the summer off or are looking for some good summer reading let me make some suggestions.

First book I recommender is John Grisham's, The Innocent Man.
For all those who may be Grisham fans this book will not disappoint you. A non-fiction book set in a small town in Oklahoma Grisham chronicles the tale of not one, not two nor three, but four innocent men. This book reads so well that I had a hard time putting it down. Grisham in an interview with NPR states he couldn't have made this up "in his creative mind." To listen to John Grisham on NPR follow this link: interview .
As a side bar- in a conversation with a friend, who happened to be a lawyer, he told me that a prosecuting attorney had told him once that "it is easier to convict an innocent man than it is to convict a guilty one." The explanation was that guilty individuals have friends who would be willing to lie for them at a moments notice, where as an innocent man will tell the truth even if he hasn't anyone to collaborate the truth with his story.

The second book to read is titled Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Oliver Relin, published by Penguin Books. It details how one man capitalizes on failure and becomes a light on the hill in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It demonstrates that one man can make a difference and change part of the world for good. As his efforts have had an affect on those in his circle of influence this book increases that circle and will have an affect on the reader. It did for me. To read more about this amazing story follow this link: Three Cups of Tea

Enjoy your summer vacation!!! jsf