The Open Road: The Global Journey of the 14th Dalai Lama: Pico Iyer
Fascinating look at the Dalai Lama and the entire Tibetan cause. Decidedly not a hagiography of His Holiness, nor a patronizing romanticizing of Tibet, Iyer offers sketches of who the Dalai Lama is as a human being and also as a symbol projected onto both by the West, and a his own people. He has a unique perspective, perhaps because his father had been friends with the man, perhaps in part because of his own heritage as a Western educated Tamil who resides now in Tokyo, he is able to cut through the orientalism/exoticism/and colonial romance that we here in the Western world project onto Tibet. Offering some history combined with contemporary descriptions of Dharamsala and the pluses and perils of modernity, whiel also delving into the current internal politics of the Tibetan government-in-exile, and overall just creating a more more dimensional and complex portrait than I've encountered anywhere before. Highly recommended for its unique perspective on the issue.
Tree of Smoke: Denis Johnson
At long last, one of my favorite authors has won the National Book Award, now for his swirling psychedelic epic of the Vietnam War. Its hard to know where to begin with describing this doorstop of a novel- the writing is beautiful and poetic as one would expect from Johnson, originally a poet. The storyline itself is complex and difficult to follow, with an extensive cast that utilizes and upends conventions and cliches of Vietnam narratives- the madly obsessed colonel, the innocent childlike private, the inscrutable Vietnamese friend- or is he an enemy? But Johnson brings a fresh take on these, and manages to keep the story moving along, sometimes more efficiently than at other times, with all of these characters. Definitely recommended, but definitely a time commitment.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Springtime Books
The Jaguar Smile- Salman Rushdie
I just found this on a shelf when I was moving, having started but not finished it when I was travelling through Nicaragua. Its a series of vignettes/ essays about Nicaragua, Rushdie went down after the Sandinista revolution overthrew the Somozas, and just when the Contra war was beginning. He ends up talking to an amazing number of national political figures, poets (and the many that were both), and just local regular people in all parts of the country. An amazing time capsule of the 80's as well- so many people discussing with certainty the coming American invasion that never exactly happened. I'd highly recommend this for anyone interested in cold war era Latin American politics, or just travelling through that region. It can also just about almost be read in one sitting. Very well written, very intimate sketches of people and places during this fascinating time in Nicaraguan history.
Carnet de Voyage - Craig Thompson
A patient of mine actually recommended this to me. Its a graphic novel, or more accurately, graphic memoir of the author travelling through Spain, France and mostly Morocco. Though some parts were kind of dry (the minutae of book signings) the parts about travelling alone, the self-consciousness, boredom and anxiety, as well as the adventure. His sketches also captured Morocco, and many of the same places I've been, perfectly.
Teaching Children to Meditate: David Fontana and Ingrid Slack
So apparently I'm not the first on this bandwagon- someone has already written a book very similar to the one I'm trying to do. First let me say, this book is great, very practical, very well written very accessible. Thats exactly the problem, reading it I was horrified by the likeness to the book I'm trying to do. Well, not entirely, but certain parts are just so similar that it almost freaked me out. I suppose this is partly the nature of writing on the same topic. However, their approach is quite different overall, so I think I'm safe as far as my project goes. Anyway, if you do work with kids, this one is worth checking out- unlike most of the others I've encountered on the topic.
I just found this on a shelf when I was moving, having started but not finished it when I was travelling through Nicaragua. Its a series of vignettes/ essays about Nicaragua, Rushdie went down after the Sandinista revolution overthrew the Somozas, and just when the Contra war was beginning. He ends up talking to an amazing number of national political figures, poets (and the many that were both), and just local regular people in all parts of the country. An amazing time capsule of the 80's as well- so many people discussing with certainty the coming American invasion that never exactly happened. I'd highly recommend this for anyone interested in cold war era Latin American politics, or just travelling through that region. It can also just about almost be read in one sitting. Very well written, very intimate sketches of people and places during this fascinating time in Nicaraguan history.
Carnet de Voyage - Craig Thompson
A patient of mine actually recommended this to me. Its a graphic novel, or more accurately, graphic memoir of the author travelling through Spain, France and mostly Morocco. Though some parts were kind of dry (the minutae of book signings) the parts about travelling alone, the self-consciousness, boredom and anxiety, as well as the adventure. His sketches also captured Morocco, and many of the same places I've been, perfectly.
Teaching Children to Meditate: David Fontana and Ingrid Slack
So apparently I'm not the first on this bandwagon- someone has already written a book very similar to the one I'm trying to do. First let me say, this book is great, very practical, very well written very accessible. Thats exactly the problem, reading it I was horrified by the likeness to the book I'm trying to do. Well, not entirely, but certain parts are just so similar that it almost freaked me out. I suppose this is partly the nature of writing on the same topic. However, their approach is quite different overall, so I think I'm safe as far as my project goes. Anyway, if you do work with kids, this one is worth checking out- unlike most of the others I've encountered on the topic.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Happiness and Misery
McMafia - Misha Glenny
Okay, the title is godawful and idiotic- BUT it was written by a BBC reporter for a Euro audience, where the name is maybe a little better. This book tells the tale of international crime syndicates in the the wake of globalization in the post-cold war era. These twin events and a few other unfortunate coincidences and unforeseen policy consequences lead to an enormous boom in organized crime, particularly in post-conflict regions. (El Salvador is cited as the first post-conflict semi-organized crime nation). The book was fascinating: traffic in women, caviar and cigarettes in Eastern Europe by post-Soviet gangs, outfitted with Soviet-era weaponry who exported their brand of crime around the world. Chechen gangs who license the terms "chechen" to unaffiliated gangs, just because it makes them more frightening to rivals. The massive influx of non-assimilating secular Russians into Israel corrupting that society and justice system. Nigerian "419" scams that siphon millions from duped Westerners in the name of anti-colonial payback. Colombian cartels expanding their markets to the EU that outsource manufacturing to the Bolivian and Peruvian peasants to the south and work closely with South African gangs to smuggle cocaine into Spain, only to launder their profits its Emirati and Russian banks. Chinese pirates who make imitation Mercedes, and Japanese Yakuza who operate with impunity, serving as a de facto justice system in Japan, where they legally rent offices and advertise.
The book takes a decidedly European bent, written as it is for that audience. The helplessness of police is quite frightening, with all the changes in technology and new routes opened by "free trade." The author also squarely places blame in part on Western desire for cheap tax-free liquor and smokes, not to mention prostitutes and cocaine. At the same time, the behavior of the criminals is rationalized by anti-colonial and anti-western sentiment, which is fanned by criminal leaders who play the robin hood role. Corrupt leaders particularly play to these sentiments, meanwhile selling off their nation's assets and pocketing the profits as cheaply as their colonial forebearers.
Authentic Happiness- Martin Seligman
Slightly disappointing, and not a whole lot of new ideas in here, though a great introduction I suppose to the world of positive psychology. Seligman is right on with his facts and figures, as one would expect a former APA president to be, and does have some great demonstrative anecdotes, explanations and applications for the research on happiness. However, I finished feeling as if I got a little more of him than I really needed, and he was a fairly narcissistic guy for such a "feel-good" field of positive psychology.
Okay, the title is godawful and idiotic- BUT it was written by a BBC reporter for a Euro audience, where the name is maybe a little better. This book tells the tale of international crime syndicates in the the wake of globalization in the post-cold war era. These twin events and a few other unfortunate coincidences and unforeseen policy consequences lead to an enormous boom in organized crime, particularly in post-conflict regions. (El Salvador is cited as the first post-conflict semi-organized crime nation). The book was fascinating: traffic in women, caviar and cigarettes in Eastern Europe by post-Soviet gangs, outfitted with Soviet-era weaponry who exported their brand of crime around the world. Chechen gangs who license the terms "chechen" to unaffiliated gangs, just because it makes them more frightening to rivals. The massive influx of non-assimilating secular Russians into Israel corrupting that society and justice system. Nigerian "419" scams that siphon millions from duped Westerners in the name of anti-colonial payback. Colombian cartels expanding their markets to the EU that outsource manufacturing to the Bolivian and Peruvian peasants to the south and work closely with South African gangs to smuggle cocaine into Spain, only to launder their profits its Emirati and Russian banks. Chinese pirates who make imitation Mercedes, and Japanese Yakuza who operate with impunity, serving as a de facto justice system in Japan, where they legally rent offices and advertise.
The book takes a decidedly European bent, written as it is for that audience. The helplessness of police is quite frightening, with all the changes in technology and new routes opened by "free trade." The author also squarely places blame in part on Western desire for cheap tax-free liquor and smokes, not to mention prostitutes and cocaine. At the same time, the behavior of the criminals is rationalized by anti-colonial and anti-western sentiment, which is fanned by criminal leaders who play the robin hood role. Corrupt leaders particularly play to these sentiments, meanwhile selling off their nation's assets and pocketing the profits as cheaply as their colonial forebearers.
Authentic Happiness- Martin Seligman
Slightly disappointing, and not a whole lot of new ideas in here, though a great introduction I suppose to the world of positive psychology. Seligman is right on with his facts and figures, as one would expect a former APA president to be, and does have some great demonstrative anecdotes, explanations and applications for the research on happiness. However, I finished feeling as if I got a little more of him than I really needed, and he was a fairly narcissistic guy for such a "feel-good" field of positive psychology.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Legacy of Ashes, Vox, Venkatesh & Kornfield's Buddhism,
Gang Leader For a Day - Sudhir Venkatesh
I wrote a bit about Venkatesh last year when I read "The Underground Economy" a sociological/athropological book about economic networks in American Ghettoes. This was essentially a more accessable version of that written for a broader audience, and framed basically as a memoir of his experiences doing field work in the projects of Chicago. I was reading this during the time that a few more fake-memoir scandals erupted, so read it with a skeptical eye, though no complaints have been lodged against Venkatesh. Anyway, this book was enjoyable and quite informative about the people and culture of our forgotten and oppressed housing project dwellers, though I would be reluctant to generalize from his observations which were about a particular housing project in a particular city. Still, some great observations, and quite entertaining and thought provoking. Sort of a real-life drier version of The Wire for you nerds interested in that kind of thing.
Vox- Nicholoson Baker
Yeah, I feel a bit like I should have read this back in college, maybe because that is when my friend bill recommended it to me. All the same, I enjoyed it quite a bit. For those who don't know, its a simple phone conversation between two strangers that grows increasingly interesting, unexpected and erotic as the conversation becomes more intimate and the book progresses. It was a great deal of fun, yet feels very of its time as the internet has since come to shape our interactions in such a different way, especially our erotic and anonymous ones.
Legacy of Ashes - Tim Weiner
This history of the CIA by the NY Times intelligence reporter should quickly put to rest anyone's notions about elaborate CIA conspiracies. At least according to this book, the history of the CIA is one of mismanagement and bumbling incompetence, with classified screw-up after screw up that have only recently come to light. The successes we have heard about are depicted as the result of happenstance, rather than good planning. Overall I greatly enjoyed this book and would recommend it. It was strangely exhaustive and yet felt incomplete, I suppose because it covered so many events so superficially, without going into much depth on any. I came away with a much better understanding of the culture, the endemic problems in our style of intelligence collecting, and the inherent conflicts between intelligence and politics in a democracy. Recommended for anyone with an interest in spy and cold war stuff.
Roots of Buddhist Psychology - Jack Kornfield
Your Buddha Nature - Jack Kornfield
Anyone with the slightest interest in Buddhism, should definitely check out (though is probably already aware) of Jack Kornfield's work. After a stint in the Peace Corps Thailand in the late 60's, he bummed around Southeast Asia as a Buddhist monk, seeking wisdom that he later brought back to the US with other early teachers. His book A Path With Heart (reviewed last year) details some of this. I generally find his teaching better in person or in recorded audio programs than in written form, and listened to these as extended audio programs, which I would strongly recommend. He teaches basic Buddhist Dharma (wisdom) for everyday life, brilliantly incorporating wisdom from a variety of traditions, anecdotes from his own life, and allegorical stories from all religious traditions. Roots of Buddhist Psychology is the better of these programs, Your Buddha Nature felt a bit recycled, but maybe because I listened to it immediately after "Roots." Highly recommended for beginners to Buddhism, or those curious.
Charlie Huston:
Okay, so its not exactly as classy as the shitty nonfiction I tend to read, but I've been greatly enjoying some pulpy books in recent months as well, particularly useful as escapist from the drudgery of writing and work. My highest recommendation for guilty pleasures go to Charlie Huston, author of the "Already Dead" and "Been Caught Stealing" serieses. (sp?) The first is a great trilogy about a man on the run, who never has the intention of killing people, but ends up finding that he's just so good at it, and keeps getting away with so much, hardly even intending to. The trilogy criss-crosses America, Mexico and some great US cities as he runs from the Russian mafia, who's millions of daolalrs he accidentally stole. The second of these, Six Bad Things, is really the best. The other series, beginning with Already Dead, imagine a world of vampyres (his spelling, not mine) existing in parallel to ours. Not too original, I know. But rather than being purely the horror genre, they are written from the perspective of a Marlowe-esque private detective with a vampyre heart of gold, making the genre more of a pulp noir set in a very well imagined and detailed world. Great plane reads, all of them- though not for the faint of hearted when it comes to blood and guts.
I wrote a bit about Venkatesh last year when I read "The Underground Economy" a sociological/athropological book about economic networks in American Ghettoes. This was essentially a more accessable version of that written for a broader audience, and framed basically as a memoir of his experiences doing field work in the projects of Chicago. I was reading this during the time that a few more fake-memoir scandals erupted, so read it with a skeptical eye, though no complaints have been lodged against Venkatesh. Anyway, this book was enjoyable and quite informative about the people and culture of our forgotten and oppressed housing project dwellers, though I would be reluctant to generalize from his observations which were about a particular housing project in a particular city. Still, some great observations, and quite entertaining and thought provoking. Sort of a real-life drier version of The Wire for you nerds interested in that kind of thing.
Vox- Nicholoson Baker
Yeah, I feel a bit like I should have read this back in college, maybe because that is when my friend bill recommended it to me. All the same, I enjoyed it quite a bit. For those who don't know, its a simple phone conversation between two strangers that grows increasingly interesting, unexpected and erotic as the conversation becomes more intimate and the book progresses. It was a great deal of fun, yet feels very of its time as the internet has since come to shape our interactions in such a different way, especially our erotic and anonymous ones.
Legacy of Ashes - Tim Weiner
This history of the CIA by the NY Times intelligence reporter should quickly put to rest anyone's notions about elaborate CIA conspiracies. At least according to this book, the history of the CIA is one of mismanagement and bumbling incompetence, with classified screw-up after screw up that have only recently come to light. The successes we have heard about are depicted as the result of happenstance, rather than good planning. Overall I greatly enjoyed this book and would recommend it. It was strangely exhaustive and yet felt incomplete, I suppose because it covered so many events so superficially, without going into much depth on any. I came away with a much better understanding of the culture, the endemic problems in our style of intelligence collecting, and the inherent conflicts between intelligence and politics in a democracy. Recommended for anyone with an interest in spy and cold war stuff.
Roots of Buddhist Psychology - Jack Kornfield
Your Buddha Nature - Jack Kornfield
Anyone with the slightest interest in Buddhism, should definitely check out (though is probably already aware) of Jack Kornfield's work. After a stint in the Peace Corps Thailand in the late 60's, he bummed around Southeast Asia as a Buddhist monk, seeking wisdom that he later brought back to the US with other early teachers. His book A Path With Heart (reviewed last year) details some of this. I generally find his teaching better in person or in recorded audio programs than in written form, and listened to these as extended audio programs, which I would strongly recommend. He teaches basic Buddhist Dharma (wisdom) for everyday life, brilliantly incorporating wisdom from a variety of traditions, anecdotes from his own life, and allegorical stories from all religious traditions. Roots of Buddhist Psychology is the better of these programs, Your Buddha Nature felt a bit recycled, but maybe because I listened to it immediately after "Roots." Highly recommended for beginners to Buddhism, or those curious.
Charlie Huston:
Okay, so its not exactly as classy as the shitty nonfiction I tend to read, but I've been greatly enjoying some pulpy books in recent months as well, particularly useful as escapist from the drudgery of writing and work. My highest recommendation for guilty pleasures go to Charlie Huston, author of the "Already Dead" and "Been Caught Stealing" serieses. (sp?) The first is a great trilogy about a man on the run, who never has the intention of killing people, but ends up finding that he's just so good at it, and keeps getting away with so much, hardly even intending to. The trilogy criss-crosses America, Mexico and some great US cities as he runs from the Russian mafia, who's millions of daolalrs he accidentally stole. The second of these, Six Bad Things, is really the best. The other series, beginning with Already Dead, imagine a world of vampyres (his spelling, not mine) existing in parallel to ours. Not too original, I know. But rather than being purely the horror genre, they are written from the perspective of a Marlowe-esque private detective with a vampyre heart of gold, making the genre more of a pulp noir set in a very well imagined and detailed world. Great plane reads, all of them- though not for the faint of hearted when it comes to blood and guts.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
October Books: The Looming Tower, Mindfulness,
The Looming Tower:
Wow, I guess the only thing I really read this month was The Looming Tower- which, by the way, was excellent. A rich and extremely thorough history of Al Qaeda going back past the Cole and embassy bombings, before the mujahideen movement, into the Saudi anti-royalist movements of the 70s, the Egyptian movements of the 60's all the way to Qutb (Quttub, however you want to spell it), and the Muslim Brotherhood wayyy back. And still, an amazing read that I simply could not stop reading. I can't recommend this enough, I think its my favorite of the many books on or around this subject I've read over the past few years.
Mindfulness: Ellen Langer
Okay, not exactly what I'd expected. This book was not about mindfulness the meditation, but uses the term in terms of social and cognitive psychology, thoguh in very interesting ways. Langer is a social psychologist who seems to study a lot about the ways that people act and interact based on heuristic patterns of thought that can be "mindless" and counterproductive, and discusses thinking strategies that are mind-ful and open up new avenues into creativity and performance. She does a ton of research into the elderly which is a bit dry, but the studies and writings she has done on people and institutions are really quite fascinating. Also, this is a really quick read. Its kind of like a proto Goleman / Gilbert book, as its from the early 80's. Still, interesting enough.
Wow, I guess the only thing I really read this month was The Looming Tower- which, by the way, was excellent. A rich and extremely thorough history of Al Qaeda going back past the Cole and embassy bombings, before the mujahideen movement, into the Saudi anti-royalist movements of the 70s, the Egyptian movements of the 60's all the way to Qutb (Quttub, however you want to spell it), and the Muslim Brotherhood wayyy back. And still, an amazing read that I simply could not stop reading. I can't recommend this enough, I think its my favorite of the many books on or around this subject I've read over the past few years.
Mindfulness: Ellen Langer
Okay, not exactly what I'd expected. This book was not about mindfulness the meditation, but uses the term in terms of social and cognitive psychology, thoguh in very interesting ways. Langer is a social psychologist who seems to study a lot about the ways that people act and interact based on heuristic patterns of thought that can be "mindless" and counterproductive, and discusses thinking strategies that are mind-ful and open up new avenues into creativity and performance. She does a ton of research into the elderly which is a bit dry, but the studies and writings she has done on people and institutions are really quite fascinating. Also, this is a really quick read. Its kind of like a proto Goleman / Gilbert book, as its from the early 80's. Still, interesting enough.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
September Books
No Country for Old Men: Cormac McCarthy
I’ve never gotten that into Cormac McCarthy, though really wanted to read this before the Coen brothers movie comes out in a few months. I definitely enjoyed the book, though it was essentially already in movie form, basically just dialogue. The story was undeniably exciting- essentially a bloody chase plot with great south Texas characters who are brought alive through their internal and external dialogues. Still, based on this anyway I'm not sure exactly why McCarthy is considered such a literary big shot, though perhaps I ought to read a little more.
Fiskadero: Denis Johnson
I just couldn’t get into this. As much as I LOVE Denis Johnson’s Already Dead and Jesus’ Son- two of my favorites, this post-apocalyptic tale just didn’t do it for me.
The Road: Cormac McCarthy
Ah, but THIS tale of a stark post-apocalyptic nightmare I really liked. This was hauntingly beautiful, the story of a father and son traveling on “the road” in search of food and safety. The creepy parts were so creepy and the moments of beauty and kindness so beautiful and inspiring. As a novel it feels like its strongly influenced by the movies, but still really works. This one also holds the bizarre status of National Book Award winner and Oprah book (shhh), and does really say a lot about humanity at its best and worst. The only book I can think of having read that made me cry, and first in a long time I didn’t want to end.
Emotional Intelligence: Daniel Goleman
I actually read Goleman’s most recent, “Social Intelligence” before I read this one. They are very similar in their scope and structure, with SI essentially being an update ten years later. Goleman’s style is to write well with an engaging and accessible style while still citing quality research- be in social psychology or neuroscience. EI was excellent, citing fascinating studies while remaining inspiring and pragmatic in the applications of the theories. The ideas are very helpful in my work with at-risk children, though can and have been applied to a huge range of groups since publication ten years ago. Highly recommended for anyone with even some interest in psychology, education or people in general.
I’ve never gotten that into Cormac McCarthy, though really wanted to read this before the Coen brothers movie comes out in a few months. I definitely enjoyed the book, though it was essentially already in movie form, basically just dialogue. The story was undeniably exciting- essentially a bloody chase plot with great south Texas characters who are brought alive through their internal and external dialogues. Still, based on this anyway I'm not sure exactly why McCarthy is considered such a literary big shot, though perhaps I ought to read a little more.
Fiskadero: Denis Johnson
I just couldn’t get into this. As much as I LOVE Denis Johnson’s Already Dead and Jesus’ Son- two of my favorites, this post-apocalyptic tale just didn’t do it for me.
The Road: Cormac McCarthy
Ah, but THIS tale of a stark post-apocalyptic nightmare I really liked. This was hauntingly beautiful, the story of a father and son traveling on “the road” in search of food and safety. The creepy parts were so creepy and the moments of beauty and kindness so beautiful and inspiring. As a novel it feels like its strongly influenced by the movies, but still really works. This one also holds the bizarre status of National Book Award winner and Oprah book (shhh), and does really say a lot about humanity at its best and worst. The only book I can think of having read that made me cry, and first in a long time I didn’t want to end.
Emotional Intelligence: Daniel Goleman
I actually read Goleman’s most recent, “Social Intelligence” before I read this one. They are very similar in their scope and structure, with SI essentially being an update ten years later. Goleman’s style is to write well with an engaging and accessible style while still citing quality research- be in social psychology or neuroscience. EI was excellent, citing fascinating studies while remaining inspiring and pragmatic in the applications of the theories. The ideas are very helpful in my work with at-risk children, though can and have been applied to a huge range of groups since publication ten years ago. Highly recommended for anyone with even some interest in psychology, education or people in general.
July / August Books
Underboss: Gerard ONeill
This book traces the history of the Boston mafia through the early 80’s when Gerry Anguilo is brought down. Its terribly written, though admittedly entertaining. That said, can anyone recommend a really good definitive book on the history of the Mafia in the US? By the way, I’m amazed that Bill O’Brien has actually also read this!
Lonesome Dove: Larry McMurtry
I kept felling like the book was about to pick up, at 200 pages in, 400 pages in, but I don’t think it did really pick up until about 600 pages in. People love this book, it also won the Pulitzer. I liked it, but didn’t quite see all the hype. I got very attached to the characters by the end, but that also might have been a little bit of Stockholm syndrome after 946 pages. The historical details were excellent and well researched, and I thought a lot about the roots of American culture and individualism that continues today, and the book had some interesting ideas of masculinity as well. Still, the plot was a little stale, and frankly the parts with Indians were pretty racist- I’m quite certain that white Americans were at least as brutal as the natives in the ongoing genocides and settler wars.
Motorcycle Diaries: Che Guevarra
This was definitely a fun and apropos read while traveling through Peru and Bolivia. Basically a series of vignettes from his travels as a young medical student, there are some wonderful political observations, some hilarious adventure parts and some really dull sections about medicine and leprosy. Probably would have blown my mind a lot more if I'd read this in, say, college, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. Very different from the movie, which I'm embarrassed that I saw first.
1968: Mark Kurlansky
This was a great popular history book about, well, the year 1968 as a watershed year. Not super sophisticated in its history as a popular book, it still managed some real complexity and detail as it described events around the world in that year, from the King and Kennedy assassinations through Vietnam, the radicalizing of the civil rights movement, the Columbia and Chicago riots, and even including student movements in Mexico, Poland, Prague and France. I love Cold War history and 1960’s/70’s in particular, so really enjoyed this book. It was also nearly impossible to put down with gripping and fast paced writing throughout.
Master and the Margarita – Anton Bulgarov
Surrealist Russian fiction, and apparently the partial inspiration for the Rolling Stones’s Sympathy for the Devil. A very cool book, with a fascinating plot about sort of about the devil come to earth. Reminded me a lot of Murakami’s work, who I’m sure read this. Still, the ideas of the book, the concept of the book was more interesting than actually reading the book, not sure if that was the slightly antiquated early/midcentury writing, a so-so translation or what, but I never quite enjoyed it as much as I liked it.
This book traces the history of the Boston mafia through the early 80’s when Gerry Anguilo is brought down. Its terribly written, though admittedly entertaining. That said, can anyone recommend a really good definitive book on the history of the Mafia in the US? By the way, I’m amazed that Bill O’Brien has actually also read this!
Lonesome Dove: Larry McMurtry
I kept felling like the book was about to pick up, at 200 pages in, 400 pages in, but I don’t think it did really pick up until about 600 pages in. People love this book, it also won the Pulitzer. I liked it, but didn’t quite see all the hype. I got very attached to the characters by the end, but that also might have been a little bit of Stockholm syndrome after 946 pages. The historical details were excellent and well researched, and I thought a lot about the roots of American culture and individualism that continues today, and the book had some interesting ideas of masculinity as well. Still, the plot was a little stale, and frankly the parts with Indians were pretty racist- I’m quite certain that white Americans were at least as brutal as the natives in the ongoing genocides and settler wars.
Motorcycle Diaries: Che Guevarra
This was definitely a fun and apropos read while traveling through Peru and Bolivia. Basically a series of vignettes from his travels as a young medical student, there are some wonderful political observations, some hilarious adventure parts and some really dull sections about medicine and leprosy. Probably would have blown my mind a lot more if I'd read this in, say, college, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. Very different from the movie, which I'm embarrassed that I saw first.
1968: Mark Kurlansky
This was a great popular history book about, well, the year 1968 as a watershed year. Not super sophisticated in its history as a popular book, it still managed some real complexity and detail as it described events around the world in that year, from the King and Kennedy assassinations through Vietnam, the radicalizing of the civil rights movement, the Columbia and Chicago riots, and even including student movements in Mexico, Poland, Prague and France. I love Cold War history and 1960’s/70’s in particular, so really enjoyed this book. It was also nearly impossible to put down with gripping and fast paced writing throughout.
Master and the Margarita – Anton Bulgarov
Surrealist Russian fiction, and apparently the partial inspiration for the Rolling Stones’s Sympathy for the Devil. A very cool book, with a fascinating plot about sort of about the devil come to earth. Reminded me a lot of Murakami’s work, who I’m sure read this. Still, the ideas of the book, the concept of the book was more interesting than actually reading the book, not sure if that was the slightly antiquated early/midcentury writing, a so-so translation or what, but I never quite enjoyed it as much as I liked it.
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