Though I lack the literary chops to explain how and why this book is so good, it just is. I’m glad I read it after Invisible Man, because otherwise I
Though I lack the literary chops to explain how and why this book is so good, it just is. I’m glad I read it after Invisible Man, because otherwise I would have been even more disappointed in the other book. This one is a great novel, period.
I knew as soon as I began that I would award this five stars. I couldn’t mount a single criticism, literary or otherwise, against these powerfully con
I knew as soon as I began that I would award this five stars. I couldn’t mount a single criticism, literary or otherwise, against these powerfully constructed yet beautifully simplistic speeches. (The book is a collection of 16 speeches delivered by Thunberg in 2018 and 2019.)
At the time I read this, I was working at a newspaper in Seminole County, Okla., less than an hour’s drive from the events described in this (true cri
At the time I read this, I was working at a newspaper in Seminole County, Okla., less than an hour’s drive from the events described in this (true crime) book; I knew a handful of the people involved, including multiple attorneys and investigators. I was amazed at the accuracy of Grisham’s descriptions of their personalities, the surrounding area, the courtrooms, etc.
The narrative itself was gripping, harrowing even, and I couldn’t put the book down. At I time when I regularly took weeks or months to finish a book, I whipped through this one in four days.
If Solomon’s debut is any indicator of their forthcoming works, they will soon be recognized as a top-tier author. This novel was powerful — a pleasur
If Solomon’s debut is any indicator of their forthcoming works, they will soon be recognized as a top-tier author. This novel was powerful — a pleasure to read despite the sometimes brutalizing pain oozing from the pages. “It is not a happy book”, as an NPR review noted, yet it’s “like a vaccine”, which sometimes hurts a bit but is well worth it.
Though the style is all Solomon, parts of the story arc reminded me of Heinlein’s Orphans Of The Sky and some of the mood reminded me of Citizen Of The Galaxy — connections that kept popping up in my brain as I read.
4.6 : In eleven essays, written by academics but accessible to laypersons, this book lays out the case that the U.S.’s criminal justice system is (and
4.6 : In eleven essays, written by academics but accessible to laypersons, this book lays out the case that the U.S.’s criminal justice system is (and always has been) a system of injustice for black men. The citations are meticulous, with dozens (hundreds, in some cases) of sources listed at the end of each chapter, along with explanatory end notes. I would recommend it to anyone — except perhaps those already deeply familiar with the issues.
Since one can always find a flaw, I’ll say I thought the final essay was the weakest, both in writing style and organization; I wish it had been in the middle somewhere. Maybe a better ending (for me) would have been for Davis to summarize the policy proposals mentioned throughout the book.
(I have published a longer review on my website, complete with mini-reviews of each essay.)
I am disappointed in myself for not having read this earlier. Any American who hasn’t read it definitely should.
Without waxing polemic, merely by stat
I am disappointed in myself for not having read this earlier. Any American who hasn’t read it definitely should.
Without waxing polemic, merely by stating his experiences (and thoughts and opinions), Douglass powerfully brings down any and all defenses — both ancient and modern — of the “peculiar institution” (slavery) that defined the first half of the U.S.’s history — and arguably has a massive influence on current events. The language is startlingly clear (relative to many other 19th Century books I’ve read) and requires little explanation — though the specific edition I read was apparently annotated for middle/high school students and thus explains the handful of arcane words and literary references.
It’s no wonder this won “Best Novel” at the Hugos; it’s written expertly, well-researched, funny and poignant, and at times heartbreaking — but most o
It’s no wonder this won “Best Novel” at the Hugos; it’s written expertly, well-researched, funny and poignant, and at times heartbreaking — but most of all triumphant. The couple of (I think) mistakes I found were so minor that they’re not worth mentioning.
Telling an alternate history of the 1950s space exploration effort couldn’t have been easy, but Kowal’s novel makes it look easy.
This was just as enjoyable to read as Book 1 in the series (Hominids), and very deftly carried the story along on a few expected paths but also a coup
This was just as enjoyable to read as Book 1 in the series (Hominids), and very deftly carried the story along on a few expected paths but also a couple of surprising ones.
Sawyer found in this world-building exercise a perfect framework on which to hang social commentary, and he does an amazing job of representing both viewpoints of us (Homo sapiens) and the other (Neanderthals) as the two cultures begin a deeper interaction.
Speaking of “deeper interaction”, the only part of the book I wasn’t fond of was the sex scene (!is that a spoiler?!), but this is probably due more to my own personality defects than to any fault of Sawyer’s.
It’s easy to see why this won a Hugo. The story is quickly paced without being frenetic, interesting, diverse, and a great example of world-building.
It’s easy to see why this won a Hugo. The story is quickly paced without being frenetic, interesting, diverse, and a great example of world-building. I don’t think I had heard of Sawyer before this — I found the book accidentally because it was next to Scalzi in my public library — but now I’m looking for more Sawyer.
Reading this almost immediately after Slaughterhouse-Five, I find the question unavoidable: why is that one on so many “best novels of all time” lists
Reading this almost immediately after Slaughterhouse-Five, I find the question unavoidable: why is that one on so many “best novels of all time” lists, while this one isn’t? Player Piano is a better book in almost every way. It’s difficult to tell whether it’s simply a matter of taste.
I identified a bit with the protagonist, who’s been given a good life by hardworking parents but comes to question the societal structure the previous generation has placed him in. And what, really, are human beings supposed to do once machines can do everything we used to? This is one of the central themes of the book and is often present in the background of our current politics, 60-something years later. And is going backward ever the right answer? Is it even possible?
Naturally for a book from the 1950s, there are a few uncomfortable moments when it comes to views on men/women or non-white people, but at least it looks like Vonnegut was ahead of the curve in that regard.
Having enjoyed H. Beam Piper's 1962 original (Little Fuzzy) at least twice in my life, I admit I like John Scalzi's "reboot" even more. He takes the o
Having enjoyed H. Beam Piper's 1962 original (Little Fuzzy) at least twice in my life, I admit I like John Scalzi's "reboot" even more. He takes the original story arc and a handful of the original characters but then remolds them in his own image. Scalzi's version is a quicker read, and also funner and funnier.
One huge improvement in my estimation is that Scalzi names fewer characters — Piper had far too many to keep up with.
(I've published a longer review on my website here.)
As both a photographer and an admirer of the Obama family, I assumed I would enjoy this book. I followed Pete Souza's photos on Flickr (before the nex
As both a photographer and an admirer of the Obama family, I assumed I would enjoy this book. I followed Pete Souza's photos on Flickr (before the next administration scrubbed his content from the official White House account) and always appreciated them. What I did not expect was how blown away I would be by this book -- emotionally. For someone who doesn't get misty-eyed very often, I went through a suspicious amount of tissue while viewing this book.
The photos are amazingly done. The selection process must have been grueling -- getting only 300+ images out of 2 million files? The intimate look at the eight years of Barack Obama's administration is a powerful reminder of what we once had.
(I have posted a longer review on my website, here.)
I typically enjoy histories, biographies, etc., but it's fatiguing to always read about history's worst people — slave-owners, colonizers, warmongers,
I typically enjoy histories, biographies, etc., but it's fatiguing to always read about history's worst people — slave-owners, colonizers, warmongers, war profiteers, monarchists, religionists. I wanted a book about someone fundamentally decent — a person who didn’t find ways to make the world obviously worse. And I wanted that book to inspire me, to encourage me, to warm my heart. This book was exactly what I was looking for.
For most of the first half, it felt intimate, as if Mrs. Obama was sitting in a comfortable chair near me, sipping her favorite warm beverage, and telling me the story of her life. It felt like her voice, lost in thought, forgetting for the moment that I'm sitting nearby listening. That tone shifted a little later on as the book gets to the White House years, but it still felt like it came from an ordinary person telling me about her actual experiences — as opposed to a Washington insider trying to make a buck by selling a book.
Unfortunately, the book ends on a mostly frustrating note, though this is due to actual events rather than to any fault of Michelle Obama. She forces herself to be optimistic at the end: "I continue, too, to keep myself connected to a force that’s larger and more potent than any one election, or leader, or news story — and that’s optimism. For me, this is a form of faith, an antidote to fear..."
This is a fascinating, entirely true tale in which Adams and (Mark) Carwardine encounter a plethora of interesting characters, some of them human, all
This is a fascinating, entirely true tale in which Adams and (Mark) Carwardine encounter a plethora of interesting characters, some of them human, all over the world. On the way, Adams is pummeled by insights and epiphanies about the very nature of life, evolution, and being human.
In the 29 years since this book was published, two of the seven species highlighted here have gone "functionally extinct" and others are still endangered, some of them critically. This drives home the real zinger: that the impact of humanity's ubiquitous presence is ongoing, that we're currently living in (and causing) a mass extinction event.
This is a must-read book. I am immediately donating my copy to a local book-sharing cooperative. If you happen to see a copy in a used bookstore or yard sale (it’s long been out of print), get it and read it.
Bottom line: I learned from this book, and that's the primary reason I read non-fiction. Additionally, I was fascinated, engaged, and in a few cases b
Bottom line: I learned from this book, and that's the primary reason I read non-fiction. Additionally, I was fascinated, engaged, and in a few cases blown away. With apologies to Richard Dawkins (and Geoffrey Chaucer), I didn't much enjoy the format, but this is a minor complaint. It just felt forced and artificial the way Dawkins attempted to squeeze his story into the series of "tales" as an homage to The Canterbury Tales. Otherwise, the entire book was enjoyable.
Beginning at the present, renowned scientist Dawkins takes the reader on a reverse journey through time, tracing humanity's evolutionary past through a series of "rendezvous" with other animal species (and larger groups). For the most part ignoring extinct species, the tale looks for branching-off points (speciation events); for example, the most recent about 6 million years ago when we last shared an ancestor with chimpanzees. Each rendezvous is accompanied by a helpful graphic showing how far back the story has gone, which animal groups are "joining" us on our "pilgrimage", and which geological eras/epochs are involved.
The Selfish Gene remains my favorite Dawkins book, but this one is powerful in its own right.
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