Book Review: Nugget on the Flight Deck By Patricia Newman

New York, Walker and Company, 2009. Illustrated by Aaron Zenz. Hardback Picture Book, 40 pages, with Target Age: 4-8 years.

Reviewed by Deena While

“Welcome aboard, Nugget…I’ll bet you’ve never been aboard a carrier before…”

October 13, 2009 (La Mesa) -- San Diego may be the nation’s 9th largest city, but it is still a Navy town at heart. The graceful passage of San Diego’s homeport aircraft carriers down the harbor channel, past Ballast Point and out to sea is one of our area’s most awe-inspiring sights. And any one of those ships could have a nugget aboard.  Navy and Marine jargon is often heard in our community. In Navy-speak, a nugget is a new pilot on his first tour of duty. Patricia Newman’s just-released book is a fun-filled introduction to the basics of carrier operations, centered on the heart-warming story of one particular nugget.

October 9, 2009 (El Cajon)--Bette Blaydes Pegas, local author of Chasing a Dream in the Galapagos: A Personal Evolution, will be at the Rancho San Diego Library in El Cajon on Tuesday, October 13th. Pegas will give a slideshow presentation on her life-changing trip to the Galapagos in the library’s conference room at 5:30 PM. She will also be available afterward to sign copies of her book.

I’M IN THE TUB, GONE. By Richard James Carlson

Publish America, Baltimore. 2004. 123 pages.
Available at the San Diego Police Museum and on Amazon.com

Reviewed by Walter Hall

“Today is the final day of this life…”

Only once in a long while do we encounter a book that just won’t let go. This is one of those books. The subject is suicide; the format is simple: a collection of the notes left behind. Identities are protected, but the texts are rendered just as they were found. Unvarnished. No commentary. Just a last wish, an edgy accusation, or a lonely cry against the coming night. Each voice wallops the unsuspecting reader from a different corner of life.

An experienced SDPD emergency negotiator, Richard Carlson introduces the collected letters and notes with a personal appeal not to give up. He is addressing two audiences: those who would consider taking their lives and the rest of us. After absorbing even a handful of these notes, readers will find it difficult to argue.

EAST OF SAN DIEGO. The Lost History of the East San Diego Police Department, 1912-1923. By Gary E. Mitrovich

San Diego Police Historical Association, San Diego, 2008. 112 pages, illustrated.  Distributed by Sunbelt Publications, El Cajon, CA.

Reviewed by Walter Hall

by Richard W. Halsey

Second Edition, Revised and Updated
Sunbelt Publications, San Diego. 2008. 232 pages, illustrated, color plates.

Reviewed by Walter Hall

“The Viejas fire in ’01, the Galivan fire in ’02, and then again during the Cedar fire in ’03. It’s always the same damn thing.” -- A weary incident commander back on the fire line

Author of New Book on Anza-Borrego Desert’s Fossil Treasures Featured at Aug. 15 Event