Vi Ann Beadle

I've been a fan of Louise Erdrich for years and this is my first listen to her work. This is the best kind of fiction to listen to since it is written in first person narrative form. Her writing is wonderful and Gary Farmer's narration perfectly voiced to a suddenly maturing Native American boy. I usually listen to books in 30 minute spurts but listened to this in 3 hour sessions.

This is a good story alternating between the past and present in major segments. It's highly descriptive and provides a realistic view of what it's like to live in western Kansas. I found the narrator's efforts to distinguish speakers annoying, especially the accent used for the young farm hands.

This is a good overview of the decline of the power of the military within the US over the last 30 or so years. Rachel Maddow makes a very cogent argument that the George W. Bush administration usurped any power that the military leaders had exercised in the post-Vietnam era in defining war and conducting it.

What I like most about this book is that it sounds like Maddow's show on MSNBC. The fact that she is the narrator of her own work makes this a great listen. I love the smart and snarky attitude.

Cheney supporters will absolutely hate this book