Books

Mark has been a book man since he learned to read. Why did he get in trouble in elementary school? Because he was reading a book when he should have been doing his math. Mark shares insights on questions you might have. How are books written? How do books get edited? How do books get published and distributed? And what are some great books that have something unique and compelling to say?

Mark Gilroy November 4, 2020

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

Make This the Next Book You Read

Jordan Peterson, a Canadian Psychologist, has become a viral sensation because of his media interviews and YouTube presentations on practical and controversial topics covering personal growth and healthy relationships like child-rearing, marriage, the meaning behind religion, friendship, personal responsibility, equality, and gender issues (from assumptions about toxic masculinity to transgender studies). Based on consuming a number of those interviews and presentations, I started reading 12 Rules with a definite expectation of a clear, pithy, and practical path to self-improvement. After all, don’t all of us know, any book with a set number of secrets, principles, rules, precepts or irrefutables will include some common assumptions, a few surprises, and always, in an easy-to-digest style? That leads to my recommendation that you read the 12 Rules, though it is seasoned with a warning and wrapped in a book review!

A Recommendation

Read it. Or listen to it. Sooner than later. As in, your next book. Peterson is so brutally honest (one of his rules is to tell the truth or at least not lie) that you can’t help but be a little more forthcoming with yourself and others in the reading. He is so willing to go against popular culture and the PC ethos of academia that you’ll feel a bit like a bold and strong bulwark against the fickle winds of enlightened conformity. He is so versed in not only his field of behavioral psychology but also philosophy and religion and literature and history that you will feel smarter whether or not you understand every word of the book. He is so down-to-earth practical that your are going to be challenged to take responsibility for your personal life and the way you interact with others—and help those others while doing so.

The second rule, treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping, is case in point. Peterson uses statistics and studies to shine a spotlight on the sad truth that many people treat their pets better than they treat themselves. For example, it is more likely that a person will fill a medicinal prescription for their cat or dog than they will for themselves. His argument sparkles as he warns us in this chapter:

You need to articulate your own principles, so you can defend yourself against others’ taking advantage of you. You must keep the promises you make to yourself, and reward yourself, so that you can trust and motivate yourself.

That quote alone is worth a five-star review and recommendation. But there are still a couple of warnings!

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Mark Gilroy October 14, 2020

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

A Book Review

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, begins with two detectives from Northern Ireland descending into high security vaults of a special collection at the Boston College library.

Next and interspersed over the course of the book is the 1974 abduction and murder of Jean McConville, an impoverished single mother of ten children, who was the widow of a Catholic husband, but who had grown up Protestant herself. She was forced out of her Protestant neighborhood by those who never forgave her for marrying a Catholic. But it was in Catholic West Belfast that she was spirited from her apartment by the Provisional IRA. Was she a spy against the IRA? It was assumed to be the case in the suspicious neighborhood she grew up in, but without providing a definitive spoiler, I’ll just say it was quite possibly a huge error that traces back to decisions by the founder of Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams.

And then we meet “Arthur’s Daughters,” Delours and Marian Price, who became rock star IRA terrorists in the 1970s and who captivated the world during a hunger strike after being captured in London in March 1973, following a series of explosions they helped to light off throughout the city. Their fame changed the narrative from them being “Arthur’s daughters” to him being the father of “The Price Sisters.”

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Mark Gilroy August 25, 2016

Midwest Review of Books: Rise of the Beast

Rise of the Beast
The Patmos Conspiracy
Book 1

Midwest Review of Books just posted a new review of Rise of the Beast.

M.K. Gilroy, publishing veteran, author, consultant and blogger, opens “The Patmos Conspiracy,” his exciting new five-book series, with Rise of the Beast that released in April. “Voice of the Dragon,” book two, is scheduled for release in the fall.

“Rise of the Beast” is a multi-layered, action-packed thriller about a disillusioned ex-Army Ranger turned black-ops private contractor named Burke who was once a man of great faith. Perhaps that’s why hiring the alluring and naive Pauline to spy on Jonathan Alexander, a maniacal billionaire bothered him. She would be killed if Jonathan knew what she was up to.

However, Pauline, who looked like a tall, statuesque beauty queen, “was perfect for what needed to be done,” he thought. She had agreed to play the part of a greedy, superficial mistress to gain Jonathan’s trust and he had been completely honest with her about the danger. Yet Burke liked her and suspected she didn’t understand how cunning, dangerous and ruthless Alexander would be if he caught her betraying him.

Add naive country preacher Dwight Garrison, dedicated research doctor and scientist, Dr. Claire Stevens, an intimidating bodyguard named Jules and an assortment of other fascinating characters and you have a story that demands to be read in one sitting.

My one small criticism is with the overly long prologue that would be better understood once the first book is read.