Worst Case Scenario by TJ Newman

I learned a lot about nuclear power and nuclear waste while reading this book. The story is set in Minnesota, which is where I live, but it's not factually based when it comes to location. Certainly Interstate 35 is a major highway through the state, and the Mississippi River runs through the state, but everything else is fictional, like the small town of Waketa, which is where the power plant is located in the book.

I will admit, the only thing I really knew about nuclear power is what happened at Chernobyl, Ukraine in 1986. I found it really interesting to read about nuclear power as an energy, what happens to the waste, how incredibly long the dangers last, the importance of water in keeping the waste in a "cooled" state. I understand that nuclear power is a low carbon energy, but it's still remarkable that we use nuclear power in this country, and that people are willing to work with it. Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

We like to believe that we are "safe" in this country and that Homeland Security will prevent planes flying into buildings and bombs being planted in high population areas to cause the most damage. We like to believe that there are safeguards in place to prevent a plane from flying into a nuclear power plant, which could potentially result in a worldwide disaster. This book shows how it could happen.

A pilot has a fatal heart attack while flying a commercial airliner. The co-pilot had stepped out to use the bathroom, so he is not in the cockpit when it happens. As the plane goes into a nosedive, the co-pilot is flung around the small contained area of the bathroom and is knocked out, blocking the door to prevent anyone from opening it. The plane, completely out of control, plows into a nuclear power plant. It could happen.

This is a fast-paced book. There are two main storylines. The local fire department tries to save a 5 year old boy strapped in his car seat in his family van that is hanging over the Mississippi River. His family is dead, having died when part of the plane (containing the fuel tanks) crashed into them while they were driving on a bridge. No one can approach the van due to the intense fire from the fuel tanks. Meanwhile, the people at the power plant, including the Fire Chief, Steve, try to assess the damage to the power plant and then attempt to contain the nuclear waste from entering the atmosphere and the water (Mississippi River), which would bring the waste through 10 other states unless it's contained.

People die, which made me really sad. They died because they were willing to sacrifice their own lives to save everyone else. Now I would like to read this author's other two books, Falling and Drowning.

Wendy's Rating: ****

One By One by Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware is very readable! This is the 4th or 5th novel I have read by her, and they are all really good. When I get nervous about what's going to happen in a book, I start reading really fast. That happened toward the end of this one. I had to stop myself from jumping ahead. 

The setting of this story is a ski chalet in the French Alps. I was definitely not familiar with some of the French names of things or French terminology, but I could infer what she meant by the context. And I learned some things!

The chalet is rented out for a week for a company retreat, so it was basically a work trip. The attendees consisted of the co-founders of a tech company called Snoop and eight others that either worked for Snoop and/or had voting shares in the company. The co-founders, Eva and Topher, were best friends but were in conflict about the next steps for Snoop. Eva wanted to sell it, profit handsomely (along with the other share holders), and move on. Topher wanted to keep it going (even though they were struggling financially) because the tech guy, Elliot, had developed a way to track the users, which Topher figured would attract more subscribers. The company was basically a music streaming service. People could "follow" users of Snoop and listen to the music the user was currently listening to. Meaning, at the same time. They would be listening "together". With Elliot's new contribution, Snoop would become a tracking device.

There were five people who had voting shares in the company (Topher, Eva, Elliot, Rik and Liz) and the idea was that after Eva and Topher each presented their plans for Snoop there would be a vote, with the majority ruling. Liz was caught in the middle. She no longer worked for Snoop, but she owned 2% of the voting shares of the company. Since Topher & Elliot were a team and Eva & Rik were a team, Liz's vote would be the deciding vote and she felt a sense of loyalty to both Topher and Eva for different reasons.

The other two people in the chalet were Erin and Danny, basically the "hosts" of the chalet. Danny was the chef and Erin took care of the guests' needs and desires.

Since this is a suspense novel, things heat up when people start dying and/or disappearing. Then the chalet is hit by an avalanche, which knocks out all power, all service, and all ways of communicating with anyone outside the chalet. So, no way to call for help.

A fast-paced read which I enjoyed very much!

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang

This is a Hmong family memoir. I learned a lot about these people who don't have a country to call their own. It's very well written by the second born child of the last born child of the Yang family.

"When the Americans left Laos in 1975, they took the most influential, the biggest believers and fighters for democracy with them, and they left my family and thousands of others behind to wait for a fight that would end for so many in death. A third of the Hmong died in the war with the Americans. Another third were slaughtered in it's aftermath." The communist government who took over power of Laos in 1975 began a campaign to kill off the Hmong who believed in democracy and had fought alongside the Americans against a communist government.

Kao's family escaped into the Laotian jungle and after four years, ended up at the Mekong River in Thailand. They found a temporary home in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp. Kao was born at this Camp in 1980. She joined an older sister, Dawb. They lived at this Camp for a little over six years and then moved to the Phanat Nikhom Transition Camp to America, where they spent six months preparing to move to America. Thailand wanted to close all of their refugee camps.

Kao's family, along with some of her uncles & aunts and their families, arrived in the US in 1987. Kao's family moved to Minnesota. Kao's beloved grandmother (Youa Lee) moved to California and lived with one of her older sons. Kao was deeply affected by this separation from her grandmother, arguably the most important person in her life. The transition to America was a long and difficult one. The younger generation learned to speak English in school, but Kao's parents and many of her uncles & aunts did not. They were dependent on their children for communication with those outside the family. The entire Yang family ended up in America. By the time this book was written, there were 350 Yang family members, the majority of them living in Minnesota. Kao's own parents (Bee Yang & Chue Moua), who miscarried several babies at the Refugee Camp in Thailand, ended up having five more children in Minnesota.

Kao shares her family's journey and it's hardships (and blessings), but also the Hmong culture, folklore and traditions that are so important to the Laotians. This is a well-written memoir and I learned a lot from it.

Wendy's Rating: *****