Terrible True Stories

Two books I read in January were both non-fiction accounts that were informative, sad, and grotesquely interesting. The first being Gracia Burnham's In the Presence of My Enemies, a terrifying recount of Burnham & her husbands time being held captive by an Islamic military sect, Abu Sayyaf, based in the Philippines. The second non-fiction novel was Jerry Oppenheimer's Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty. I don't think it needs a one sentence summary because really we can all draw our own conclusions from that title.

Photo Courtesy of Goodreads

Quick Facts:

• Based on the true story of two American missionaries taken hostage in the Philippines.
• The Burnham's (Gracia & Martin) spent over a year in captivity.
• Rescue attempts along with the actual rescue were very botched resulting in the wounding of Gracia & the deaths of Martin, as well as one other remaining hostage. 

Okay so that's not a lot of quick facts, but really those are the main takeaways. I'd like to say that I really enjoyed this book and found it inspiring, but really I didn't. I thought it was a quick, decent read (I read it in about a day), but other than that I didn't take a lot away from it. I'd also like to say that while reading about Martin and Gracia's faith in God to help them in their situation helped my own faith, but it didn't. I feel for them and that they were put through that awful ordeal (I would've demanded they either leave my hotel room or kill me than be taken), but it was a little bit hard to relate at times. It was an unimaginable situation that I think a lot of people would find hard to relate too, but you may be able to relate to their faith. I'll admit that I skipped around a little bit within the chapters, while I am a Christian I found even the bible passages quite unbearable to read. 

Also, I don't understand why the rescue effort took over a year to complete. When you read this, Gracia tells of the Filipino special forces and how they were mere feet away from them at all times, yet they were held captive for a year and eight days. The Abu Sayyaf treated the hostages okay, but they were still terrorists, so I understand the hesitation from the Filipino government in negotiating. I felt that President Arroyo (then Filipino commander in chief) was painted as the bad guy just as much as the captors. The rescue was extremely botched resulting in two deaths and one wounded. I don't think firing upon hostages and captors at random (yes, they just started shooting, day or night) was a particularly good idea. So this book made me a little angry, but Gracia and Martin's strength and hope of survival at times was admirable. 

Overall Grade: C+ Really inspiring story of hope, but that's where it ends. 

Photo Courtesy of Goodreads

Quick Facts:

• An in depth look at one of the best known family names in America
• Paternity scandals, public disowning, multiple divorces, and the New York Jets
• Short chapters that can be a tad boring at times
• It paints a story of the not so wholesome names behind one of the best known and biggest brands

Oppenheimer's latest tell all takes us into the private lives of one of America's most trusted families, the Johnsons. These aren't any plain old Johnsons, these are the Johnson's of the Johnson & Johnson brand dynasty! A family well known for its products (even though no Johnson still works or has worked for decades at the company), but not as well known for its drama. Oppenheimer has penned other unauthorized tell alls such as, House of Hilton & Toy Monster: The Big Bad World of Mattel. The book focuses a lot on Woody Johnson (the owner of the NY Jets) along with his immediate family and ancestry (his great grandfather was co-founder Robert Wood Johnson). Other random family members are also mentioned either briefly or at length. 

Okay, so this family is CRAZY! Biggie wasn't kidding when he said "Mo Money Mo Problems". Rich people are insane, like super insane. Towards the middle of the book you begin to delve into J. Seward Johnson I and his family. Those were the most interesting stories to me, most of which stemming from himself who had three wives, the last of which became one of the richest women in the world when he croaked in '83. Then there's his namesake of a son J. Seward who was involved in a decades long paternity battle, a shoot-out (yup read that right), and he and his siblings sued the polish maid who became their step-mommy because she got all of daddy's millions. And let's not forget J.S. Jr's nephew Jamie who made the Emmy nominated, and super scandalous documentary "Born Rich". 

While that was probably the most interesting and entertaining part of the book, there was more than enough Woody to go around. Including the tragic story of his daughter Casey, who passed away in 2010 after a battle with diabetes. By far this book was better than my first non-fiction read of the year. I would 100% recommend this book, as well as Oppenheimer's other books. This one was sectioned into parts with short to medium sized chapters. Like I said before some are a bit tedious and maybe even boring, and since what you read before isn't tied into what you read next, it's okay to skip a small chapter or two. I really, really, really did not want this book to end. It was just that good and juicy. 

Overall Grade: A-, some tidbits/stories drag-on, but overall its got a lot of good dirt. 

I love non-fiction, and these two were both very good reads. If I had to choose my favorite child though, I'd go with Crazy Rich. Mostly because its better, but also because I feel like if you're not comfortable reading about faith or God, Burnham's book definitely is not for you. I found both of these books on Goodreads, so snaps for some great recommendations once again. That's all for now!

<3's Laterz,

P.S.

Gracia Burnham has set up a foundation benefiting missionaries and their service. I've included the website for more information on the foundation. Also, she has updates on how her and her family are doing. http://www.graciaburnham.org/