By Jorge Luis Borges
I've been reading this book since I finished Working in the Shadows... It was very slow. Some of the stories I didn't even get, I'm afraid. It was a fairly difficult read. No wonder it took me so long... I finished it last week. [256 pp.]
Book link
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Godless Morality: Keeping Religion Out of Ethics
By Richard Holloway
Actually I finished this book two or three weeks ago, and I forgot most of what I wanted to write about it. All I remember is this: I looked at the back cover after I started reading the book, and was very surprised to learn that the author is a bishop. His views are so similar to mine in almost all aspects discussed in the book, that it gives me hope (although I'm sure he's in the minority). [163 pp.]
Book link
Actually I finished this book two or three weeks ago, and I forgot most of what I wanted to write about it. All I remember is this: I looked at the back cover after I started reading the book, and was very surprised to learn that the author is a bishop. His views are so similar to mine in almost all aspects discussed in the book, that it gives me hope (although I'm sure he's in the minority). [163 pp.]
Book link
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Working in the Shadows
- A year of doing the jobs [most] Americans won't do -
By Gabriel Thompson
The author spent 2008 working 3 different jobs (2 months each): picking lettuce (which actually involves a lot of cutting!) in Yuma, AZ; dumping heavy tubs of chicken parts in Russellvile, AL; and delivering for a restaurant in New York City. All jobs were very hard and not well paid, but to me it seemed the one in the chicken plant was probably the hardest, though the most physically demanding was cutting lettuce. He also spent a couple of days working at a flower shop with crazy owners, who ended up firing him because he smiled too much. Although everybody probably knows that these jobs are hard and not well paid, it's hard to understand how hard they really are without experiencing it yourself. And through Thompson, it's easy to see that what I consider hard work is nothing compared to what people who have to do these jobs all the time have to go through.
The books seems fairly balanced and objective - there's no slamming on the companies or obvious exaggerations of injustices - and does a good job and detailing many aspects of the life of the workers. And even though he starts out intending to focus on illegal immigrants, he concludes that they are by no means the only ones suffering in the system as it is.
There were a couple of inconsistencies that had me go back and look at details in the book (like the time lag between the Yuma and Russellville jobs - it seemed from the narration that he was still recovering physically from picking lettuce when he started the chicken job, but in fact it was about 3 months; and the 3rd day of his work at the restaurant, where he said he was still in training - but according to what the lady told him when he just started, training was supposed to last 2 days).
However, all-in-all the book is well written and very interesting. So if you want to know more about where your food comes from and what involves in getting it to your supermarket (or doorstep), this book may answer more questions than you think you have. [312 pp.]
Book link
By Gabriel Thompson
The author spent 2008 working 3 different jobs (2 months each): picking lettuce (which actually involves a lot of cutting!) in Yuma, AZ; dumping heavy tubs of chicken parts in Russellvile, AL; and delivering for a restaurant in New York City. All jobs were very hard and not well paid, but to me it seemed the one in the chicken plant was probably the hardest, though the most physically demanding was cutting lettuce. He also spent a couple of days working at a flower shop with crazy owners, who ended up firing him because he smiled too much. Although everybody probably knows that these jobs are hard and not well paid, it's hard to understand how hard they really are without experiencing it yourself. And through Thompson, it's easy to see that what I consider hard work is nothing compared to what people who have to do these jobs all the time have to go through.
The books seems fairly balanced and objective - there's no slamming on the companies or obvious exaggerations of injustices - and does a good job and detailing many aspects of the life of the workers. And even though he starts out intending to focus on illegal immigrants, he concludes that they are by no means the only ones suffering in the system as it is.
There were a couple of inconsistencies that had me go back and look at details in the book (like the time lag between the Yuma and Russellville jobs - it seemed from the narration that he was still recovering physically from picking lettuce when he started the chicken job, but in fact it was about 3 months; and the 3rd day of his work at the restaurant, where he said he was still in training - but according to what the lady told him when he just started, training was supposed to last 2 days).
However, all-in-all the book is well written and very interesting. So if you want to know more about where your food comes from and what involves in getting it to your supermarket (or doorstep), this book may answer more questions than you think you have. [312 pp.]
Book link
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Idiot
By Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Finally finished, after many months. I liked the beginning, with some interesting ideas and unusual settings, but then it started to become tedious. Like a 30-page monologue by an insignificant and annoying character. Quite a few of the characters were annoying, actually. That was probably on purpose, but it still made the read less inviting.
All in all, I was quite disappointed. I really liked Crime and Punishment, and expected The Idiot to be as good. [688 pp.]
Book link
Finally finished, after many months. I liked the beginning, with some interesting ideas and unusual settings, but then it started to become tedious. Like a 30-page monologue by an insignificant and annoying character. Quite a few of the characters were annoying, actually. That was probably on purpose, but it still made the read less inviting.
All in all, I was quite disappointed. I really liked Crime and Punishment, and expected The Idiot to be as good. [688 pp.]
Book link
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Noble Brute (Pere Atzil; Hebrew)
By Dudu Bussi*
I decided to take this book with me on my trip to NC and back, because I didn't want to take a delicate library book on the bus (if I lose or damage it, I'll have to pay a $165 fine!). I already read it a while back (sometime in 2003-2004). I didn't realize it was that long ago. Indeed, I was amazed I didn't really remember many of the details, as much as I liked the story. Nothing seemed too familiar when I read it the second time around. I'm especially surprised that I didn't remember how tragic the story is. Anyway, the important thing is that I liked it again, and if you haven't read it yet - go ahead and do so. [
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* He spells it as Busi on Facebook
Book link
I decided to take this book with me on my trip to NC and back, because I didn't want to take a delicate library book on the bus (if I lose or damage it, I'll have to pay a $165 fine!). I already read it a while back (sometime in 2003-2004). I didn't realize it was that long ago. Indeed, I was amazed I didn't really remember many of the details, as much as I liked the story. Nothing seemed too familiar when I read it the second time around. I'm especially surprised that I didn't remember how tragic the story is. Anyway, the important thing is that I liked it again, and if you haven't read it yet - go ahead and do so. [
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* He spells it as Busi on Facebook
Book link
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Who Are You People?
A Personal Journey into the Heart of Fanatical Passion in America
By Shari Caudron
A story about a person who has no life-long fanatical passion, but is passionate about learning about passion and what makes people passionate. So she goes cross-country to meet with people who are passionate about Barbie, Lego, board-games, ice-fishing, Josh Groban, furries, pigeon racing, etc., till she finds something about herself.
Didn't care too much for the first few chapters - the writing kind of annoyed me at first, but as I kept going, the book and the writing grew on me. It was pretty interesting. [285 pp.]
Book link
By Shari Caudron
A story about a person who has no life-long fanatical passion, but is passionate about learning about passion and what makes people passionate. So she goes cross-country to meet with people who are passionate about Barbie, Lego, board-games, ice-fishing, Josh Groban, furries, pigeon racing, etc., till she finds something about herself.
Didn't care too much for the first few chapters - the writing kind of annoyed me at first, but as I kept going, the book and the writing grew on me. It was pretty interesting. [285 pp.]
Book link
Saturday, November 20, 2010
What the Best College Teachers Do
By Ken Bain
I will start teaching my first college course in a couple of month, and besides preparing the lectures, observing lectures, and participating in a discussion group about teaching, I thought I should read this book to see what makes the best college teachers so good. It was very helpful in setting me in the right state of mind of teaching - getting me to think about things I can do to make learning more effective for the students and so on - but not very helpful in giving practical examples. But I guess that was the point of the book - the best college teachers think about these things themselves... [207 pp.]
Book link
I will start teaching my first college course in a couple of month, and besides preparing the lectures, observing lectures, and participating in a discussion group about teaching, I thought I should read this book to see what makes the best college teachers so good. It was very helpful in setting me in the right state of mind of teaching - getting me to think about things I can do to make learning more effective for the students and so on - but not very helpful in giving practical examples. But I guess that was the point of the book - the best college teachers think about these things themselves... [207 pp.]
Book link
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