Don't Call Me a Crook! by Bob Moore

Don't Call Me a Crook is at times amusing but at others disturbing. It does offer the rare opportunity of delving into a rogue's travels and view of the world.

Bob Moore was a survivor who kept cool under pressure, trusted his instincts and was extremely resourceful. He was also a funny Scotsman without intending to be and an excellent storyteller.

On the down side, Bob Moore was a liar, thief, racist, drunkard and murderer, with little to no remorse for those that he harmed. He seemed to think he was superior, even when he was scruffy and out of work. He referred to any race different from his own with a derogatory slang term. In the 20’s and 30’s this was more common, but that doesn’t excuse it.

Bob’s Crimes

If his slang gets confusing in Don’t Call Me A Crook! (Bob Moore, Dissident Books, ISBN: 9780977378807, 2009) there are handy footnotes with definitions included. It seems more authentic to keep the original written words intact anyway, and it made for a fascinating tale of a rogue who seemed slightly psychotic. It was originally published in 1935 without much fanfare and only recently was republished.

Death didn’t faze him and even when his hand caused the death, he brushed it off casually or excused it. He refused to admit that he was a crook (hence the name Don’t Call Me a Crook!) or thief and refers to stealing as swiping, as if that’s somehow better.

In between jobs he did a lot of stealing and conning, so the places he could travel became limited since victims of theft or police were after him everywhere. Anyone with money, jewelry or booze was a target to Bob. He still certainly made his rounds by traveling all over the world on ships. His escapades in England, China and the U.S. were particularly of interest.


Bob Moore and Women

There were several women he led on and charmed out of their money and he didn’t think twice about ripping off a boss on his way out the door. He would occasionally do favors for friends, but there was almost always something in it for him. That’s not to say he never had any sympathy for anyone, but he tended to favor drinking buddies with money.

At one point he did bow to family pressure and made an attempt at settling down and marrying in Glasgow. Since Bob seemed incapable of staying in one place or job too long, this didn’t work out.

 He describes his travels, experiences and associates so well that they’re easy to envision. An engineer by trade, Bob Moore had no problem getting jobs on yachts or ships. These were full of adventures including rowdy parties, pirate shootouts, fistfights and drowning. How anyone ever managed to survive this lifestyle full of danger, diseases and violence is a mystery. Whether everything Bob wrote is true or not is another mystery.

Far From the Land: An Irish Memoir

Far From The Land is a story about Thomas J. Rice and the struggles of an Irish farming family in the 50s. 

Rice’s alcoholic father took off and left him to become the man of the house. He left school because the headmaster was also an alcoholic and he was babysitting more than he was learning anything.

An old and respected neighbour eventually spurred him on to leave Ireland by saying, “If I were young agin, I’d get the hell outa here an’ make a something’ o’ meself”. The inspirational message throughout Far From The Land was despite the odds, if people are determined enough, they could overcome obstacles and make their dreams come true.

I recognized many of the Irish names in Far From the Land from friends and family in Newfoundland and Ontario as many of our ancestors emigrated from Ireland to Canada. It would probably be fascinating for anyone to read Rice’s memoir and learn more about Ireland's culture.  Read full review

Angels of a Lower Flight by Susie Scott Krabacher

Susie Scott describes her emotional, entertaining and sometimes heart-breaking journey from Playboy centerfold to humanitarian in Angels of a Lower Flight.

She’s not your typical Mother Theresa type, but she’s brave and determined to help children in Haiti. I admire Susie Scott because although she’s tough and had a violent background, she didn’t let that stop her from caring or making a difference.

She was also able to write this memoir so skillfully that you could picture what she was describing and feel the pain as well.

When Susie Scott was finally happily married, she felt the need to do more and set out for Haiti with her friend Gary where about 80% of Haitians live in abject poverty and the unemployment rate is more than 70%.

 Most thought she was crazy and she had a hard time finding a driver to take her there, but Susie made a beeline for the poorest most dangerous area. Known for its violence and gangs with the reputation as the worst slum in Haiti she headed to Cité Soleil.

After a couple rough starts and rip offs from “vagabonds” as they call con men in Haiti, she managed to get a feeding center and schoolhouse built with the help of her husband Joe, brother Mark and several tattooed, muscled and sometimes stoned gang members in Haiti.

They named it "The Mercy Center" and after seeing so many bodies, bullets and machetes, Susie grew tougher. Her brother Mark’s death may have given her a strange strength. Sick of being approached with guns she started saying, “If you’re gonna try and scare me, at least cock the dad-gum thing.”

Wanting to do more, she began volunteering at an understaffed public hospital in Port-au-Prince encountering abandoned, neglected, disabled and malnourished children. Many of these disabled children are abandoned because of a widespread belief system that such a child is a curse, but Susie Scott embraces them recognizing the familiar wounded look in their eyes from her own childhood.


All profits from Angels of a Lower Flight go towards helping children in Haiti. It is a deeply moving story Susie Scott bravely shares that will leave you forever changed.

Angels of a Lower Flight: One Woman's Mission to Save a Country . . . One Child at a Time