xxstefaniereadsxx's reviews
1663 reviews

IG Farben was a German pharmaceutical and chemical conglomerate that was split up in the post-war years. Bayer was part of this company, before emerging as a standalone company, despite their wartime activities. This book outlines the history of IG Farben, the companies under their control during World War II, and all of the atrocities that they participated in. Medical experimentation was one aspect of IG Farben horror, but they were also the architects of Zyklon B. I read this book for my final capstone project, and it was very informative and useful for that project.

 

This book reviews medical experimentation against interned persons at various concentration camps, as perpetrated by the Nazi regime and the drug companies they were in cahoots with. I read this book for my capstone project that I am getting ready to turn in and found it very useful in explaining how the Nuremberg Codes were created.

 

 This book is currently available on Audible Plus. It was about four hours long, but the physical copy is under 300 pages if you are interested. If you are a WWE fan, this might be of interest to you. There are some stories about Mick's time in WWE, but the book does center around his love of Christmas. I was actually completely unaware that some Santa subculture existed, and certainly was not aware that Mick Foley was into that. I think it is wonderful that he was able to find something that brought him joy at a time when he was struggling with CTE and other health issues. I am not a Christmas lover, so this book was a little outside my normal realm of reading material, but it was okay for a short book. 

 

The Tubbs Fire burned from October 08 to October 31, 2017. This fire is estimated to have burned over 36,000 acres of land. Over 5,600 homes and other buildings were destroyed, the bulk of those being in Santa Rosa. It is believed that the point of origin was on Tubbs Lane, hence the name of the fire being the Tubbs Fire. The fire was pushed onwards by strong wind gusts, fueled by excessively dry surroundings due to ongoing drought. This fire alone would cost over 100 million in fire suppression, which is something I think people often do not consider. At least 22 people died in this particular fire.

There were some very serious issues surrounding this fire. Emergency alerts were not sent to every cell phone in the area, because the powers that be were worried about causing a panic... Text message alerts were sent to the numbers who had signed up for alerts, which was not every resident. Reverse 911 called landlines, but only in certain areas. Evacuations were not ordered in a timely manner and were executed poorly. PG&E is notorious for failing to maintain their electrical lines, which often arc, causing fires. One of the most abhorrent issues created the basis for this book: the abandonment of residents of a senior care facility in the midst of a natural disaster. This facility did not have a clear plan of action in case of any type of emergency. They were understaffed. The employees that were there had little to no training, no access to keys for vehicles, no access to generators, no access to batteries. Residents were on a second floor, many of whom were reliant on wheelchairs, with no way to get downstairs. Family members, the skeleton crew with no instruction, and some first responders came to rescue them, not the management of the facilities. Out of the two facilities, Villa Capri burned completely down, and Varenna was heavily damaged.

I would like to say that in 2017, with all of the devastating fires that had been documented throughout history, that a facility such as this would have understood the need for proper fire plans. There was nothing in place for these people. Many of them relied on walkers and wheelchairs. Many were reliant on oxygen or other machines. There were no generators for those people in case of an emergency. There was no way to get them off a second floor with no working elevator. Prior to this incident, there were multiple complaints about staff not caring for people properly. I can see why there were complaints! They weren't doing what they should have been doing, and the ones that were had scant training and no support. I would like to say that stories like this about nursing home and assisted living home horrors are few and far between, but the reality is...they aren't. It shouldn't take a natural disaster to catch people out for not doing what they are supposed to do. I do not blame the families for taking legal action against these facilities. Quite frankly, the state should prevent these people from operating any facility like this in the future, as they are not concerned about caring for people.

This book was very detailed. It gave a lot of information on various residents and the few workers in the facilities. There was a lot of information about the Tubbs Fire as well. I found this book to be well researched, and full of personal statements and sentiments about members of the community and the facilities. This book really made you feel tense with the people in the book and enraged at the abandonment and mistreatment of the people in the facilities. I have the Audible version, which was a long listen. If you are interested in the physical copy, it is over 400 pages.

 

 

The Monsanto Company was founded in 1901. Monsanto hit the ground running with food additives, such as caffeine, saccharin, and vanilla extract. It began producing chemicals by the 1920s. These chemicals were used in rubber processing, salicylic acid, sulfuric acid, and PCBs. Monsanto dabbled in the development of nuclear weapons, specifically in the Dayton Project. Monsanto would later go on to partner with some big names in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, namely Bayer, who would eventually buy the company out in 2018. Monsanto was the manufacturer for several controversial and detrimental products that have had long-term consequences: PCBs, DDT, Agent Orange, and bovine growth hormones. Monsanto also created and produced AstroTurf, which some people believe leeches chemicals into athletes and is detrimental to their overall health. I would have liked to have learned more about the shady business dealings that Monsanto got up to, because everyone knows chemical companies are always doing shady business. Especially when they have been in business 100+ years before there were regulations.

This book focuses on the trials involving Roundup. Roundup is a herbicide that was concocted, patented, and marketed by Monsanto until Bayer acquired it in 2018. There are several warnings associated with the use of Roundup, mostly not to ingest it or get it into the eyes. There was no risk of cancer printed on any warning label or in any literature. There have been several studies done, most recently in 2017, about the active ingredient in this product not being a carcinogenic risk to human beings. However, as of 2023, there were over 150,000 claims against Bayer/Monsanto alleging that use of this product led to cancer. Most of these cases rely on the fact that there was no warning about the risk of cancer from use of this product, false advertising, and covering up test results. This product has been dropped from a number of stores and banned in some European countries altogether. While many are keen to side with Bayer/Monsanto, Bayer did settle with a number of people to the tune of several million dollars. Does Roundup cause cancer? I do not know, I am not a scientist...but I would not be shocked if it did.

I have the Audible version of this book, but the physical copy is around 300 pages for those of you interested. I hoped this would have went more into the history of the company, but the main focus was on the court cases involving Roundup. I was more interested to know all the products affiliated with this company other than Roundup. Overall, the book was well researched and offered a lot of insight into the legal troubles of Monsanto and how it has impacted Bayer as a company.

 

 Heriberto Seda was born in New York in 1967. Seda was mentally and physically abusive to his sister, and was in trouble at school for bringing weapons. Seda began actively terrorizing people in 1990. He killed three and wounded six more before his capture. He copied The Zodiac Killer by sending taunting messages to police. His code was based on maritime flags, which was easy to crack. He claimed that he was selecting victims based on their Zodiac signs, but this was proven to be false. Police eventually captured him in 1996 after an altercation with his sister. He got himself pinned to the murders in the most ridiculous way, and was eventually put on trial. He is currently still alive and incarcerated at Dannemora.

This book is less than 300 pages for those interested in a shorter true crime read. It offered plenty of details about the crimes and the trial. This case was featured on Forensic Files, for those who are interested in the reading list for that. I am glad to have this one marked off my list for the year. 

The book was interesting enough that I was able to finish it. I am unfamiliar with this actress, but it is interesting to see how people enter the adult film career path. It is also important to remember that those in sex work are human beings with passions and feelings and not just objects that fulfill sexual fantasies.

 This is a terrific oral history of what people experienced as children during World War II. People often forget that regular citizens, especially children, are witnesses to and victims of some really heinous things. This is a very valuable book for the historical record. I have the Audible version, which was about eight hours long. It is a little over 300 pages if you are interested in a physical copy. 

Timothy Wilson Spencer was the first person convicted in the United States based on DNA evidence. DNA evidence collected from the body of Susan Tucker eventually led to the arrest and conviction of Spencer, who had raped or killed several other women in the same manner. The detective in Susan Tucker's case was relentless in his determination to capture the person responsible for these crimes and have them meet justice. He was relentless in his determination to have DNA evidence used. Without the efforts of Detective Joe Horgas, the sacrifices of these victims, and all of the scientists and members of the justice system who advocated for the use of DNA evidence, there would be far fewer people held responsible for their actions. DNA technology has advanced so much since this case, it is really amazing to see. 

 

John David Smith was reportedly an abusive spouse to his first wife, Janice, who mysteriously vanished in 1974. Her body was discovered by members of his family, after he built a "box" for them to go in. His family helped him discard of the remains along the highway. Smith remarried in 1990. His second wife, Betty, also vanished from her home in 1991. Skull fragments were found in a locker he owned but have not been positively identified as of the writing of this book. Smith remarried again and was arrested while living with his third wife. She apparently dodged a bullet, but I would like to know how people kept marrying this scumbag.

This case has been featured on several shows, including Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, and Dateline. The book was really good and outlined the abuse and misdeeds of Smith. If you are interested, the sister of his second wife also wrote a book. (My Sister Is Missing: Bringing A Killer To Justice- Sherrie Gladden-Davis)