#NetGalley Book Review: The Ultimate Guide to the 2020 Election: 101 Nonpartisan Solutions to All the Issues that Matter by Ryan Clancy, Margaret White

I enjoyed reading the suggested practical solutions.

The Ultimate Guide to the 2020 Election: 101 Nonpartisan Solutions to All the Issues that Matter
by Ryan Clancy, Margaret White

File Size: 1407 KB
Print Length: 272 pages.
Publisher: Diversion Books (October 29, 2019)
Language: English
ASIN: B07TLYYMD3
Genre: Human Rights, Political Advocacy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

Will Donald Trump’s Southern Border Wall actually make our country safer? How much will Bernie Sanders’s and Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare for All plan really cost American taxpayers? Can Cory Booker’s and Kamala Harris’s ideas for debt-free college revive the American dream?
You’ll find the answers in this book. With the 2020 US presidential election looming, the emerging contest doesn’t seem so much a battle of ideas as it does a war of two tribes bent on the other’s destruction. The Far Left and Far Right increasingly dominate and drive America’s political debate, leaving a majority of Americans feeling left out and left behind. The Ultimate Guide to the 2020 Election gives a voice to this majority and provides an unbiased education on the true nature of the problems America faces on several key issues, including:
• Health Care
• Energy & Climate Change
• Infrastructure
• Big Tech & Privacy
• The American Dream
• Immigration
• The National Debt
• Gun Safety
Beyond these policy issues, No Labels senior advisors Ryan Clancy and Margaret White present ideas for rescuing American democracy itself. Complete with sample questions for the 2020 presidential candidates and an inclusive Unity Agenda that addresses concerns on both sides of the aisle, this nonpartisan political handbook should be required reading for all US voters.

Review:
The book identifies clear domestic policy issues (not much on trade and foreign issues)), setting forth specific candidate proposals and stated positions from the left and the right. The authors then propose some viable solutions. Whether the reader agrees fully with the solutions, there is open discussion and responsible and workable compromises. The guide also offers questions directed specifically to President Trump, questions directed specifically to the Democratic presidential candidates and then questions for all of the candidates.

The presentation is well documented and provides open views for citizens and journalists who may have a sincere interest in seeking to focus on clear candidate positions. Although The Ultimate Guide is not a one-stop resource and doesn’t always find a place of common ground, it is at least an effort to open discussions on some of the issues.

I had never heard of the No Labels group but I appreciate this approach. I did not find any clear, gross bias, either toward the left or right. Too often the public is presented with clearly biased positions from authors or news outlets who are not willing to allow open dialogue. This book is a breath of fresh air. I highly recommend this as an excellent resource while watching debates and preparing to vote in 2020.

Source: 2019 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2019NetGalley goal.

Book Review: The Circuit: Executor Rising by Rhett C. Bruno

This has lots of high tech, action and some interesting characters, but I found the plot a bit confusing.

The Circuit: Executor Rising
by Rhett C. Bruno

File Size: 4070 KB
Print Length: 276 pages
Publisher: Diversion Books (May 19, 2015)
ASIN: B00XAUYRY2
Genre: Sci Fi, Space Opera
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

"A hard-charging opener to a promising, if bloody, space-opera series." —KIRKUS
Centuries after Earth was rendered an uninhabitable wasteland, humanity was forced from its homeworld and founded the Kepler Circuit, a string of colonies throughout the solar system. These settlements provide resources to the remnants of humankind, the most important resource being the newly discovered element—Gravitum—found only in the Earth’s unstable mantle.
But a powerful religious faction known as the New Earth Tribunal has risen to preside over most of the Circuit. Though there is barely a faction left to challenge them, a string of attacks on the Tribunal’s freighters causes them to suspect their mortal enemies, the Ceresians, of foul play.
Tasked with solving the problem is Sage Volus: Tribunal Executor. Spy.
Sage quickly infiltrates the ranks of a roguish, Ceresian mercenary named Talon Rayne, seeking to discover the truth behind the attacks, but the longer she works amidst Talon and his squad, the more she finds her faith in the Tribunal tested.
While her quest for answers only unearths more questions, a new threat is on the rise, and it plans to bring down the Tribune once and for all.

Review:
Sage Volus is a Tribunal Executor who handles the necessary enforcement against those who violate the rules of the cult-like Circuit Tribunal. She also serves as a spy when so instructed. It is a rough job but she dedicated herself at a time when she had nothing else to live for.

Cassius Vale is a rare commodity. He is an Ex-Tribune and there are those who would prefer to see him dead. Cassius son, Caleb, was married to Sage. Seven years ago, Caleb died while exploring new growth on the husk of old earth. Sage was injured in the explosion too, but Cassius made sure she survived.

Cassius has broken faith with the Tribunal whom he blames for his son’s death. He has put into place a plan to circumvent the control of the Circuit, or at least to create chaos. After all, he is known as ‘creator’ to his Automated Dynamic Intelligence Mech (ADIM).

Sage is directed by the Tribune to investigate the attacks on the Circuit freighters. Some suspect their mortal enemies, the Ceresians, but one or two of the Tribune suspect Cassius. Sage manages to infiltrate the team of a Ceresian mercenary named Talon Rayne. The things Sage discovers begin to test her previously unquestioned devotion to the Tribunal. And facts have only begun to surface.

I really liked ADIM as an AI character, although he is a bit brutal in his approach to his tasks. Sage is a Kick-butt character and I liked that she has feelings even after years of trying to numb her heart. I liked Cassius but honestly, I am not sure if he is good, bad or simply mad.

The story moves at a good pace with lots of action and high tech. It is not one that can be read lightly as it takes concentration to follow what is happening. It didn’t seem totally clear what had happened to destroy earth and why the Circuit had to rely on the Gravitum from earth. Even when finished I felt confused as this seemed like the second book in a series that didn’t pull in all the backstory. There were numerous grammar errors plus the story ends without wrapping up either line of action, for Sage or Cassius. So – I liked the basics but it has some drawbacks. I noted that the reviews on book two are favorable so that is a good sign.

I received this from the publisher through NetGalley. It qualifies for my NetGalley Challenge.