A work of remarkable moral clarity. Read it, weep and do something, even if it's framed, as El Akkad describes it, in negation, e.g., don't buy thingsA work of remarkable moral clarity. Read it, weep and do something, even if it's framed, as El Akkad describes it, in negation, e.g., don't buy things that facilitate genocide.
And as the author counsels don't just boycott, "walk away from," but also walk "toward."
Buy Palestinian, e.g., go to Paliroots or Handmade Palestine website and find a gift for a friend. Donate money or time or both to good causes in support of humanitarian treatment of Palestinians....more
So disappointing. Came into this with great expectations based on reviews and commentary from many writers I respect but came away deeply disappointedSo disappointing. Came into this with great expectations based on reviews and commentary from many writers I respect but came away deeply disappointed.
The "protagonist" is an entirely unappealing boor filled with misogyny, malevolence and rage. Pretty much all the other characters are two dimensional and undeveloped.
Saul Bellow once famously spewed in a moment of despicable racism and cultural snobbery "Who is the Tolstoy of the Zulus?"
Achebe isn't a Tolstoy. He's more on a par with Bellow who was, like Achebe (at least if this book is any indication), a decidedly uninteresting mediocrity....more
Heart breaking. Full of moral clarity, empathy and love in the face of unimaginable horror.
The book seems a bit hurried and disjointed toward the end Heart breaking. Full of moral clarity, empathy and love in the face of unimaginable horror.
The book seems a bit hurried and disjointed toward the end as it shifts from Alareer's writing to a series of edited interviews as Gaza careens toward chaos and genocide.
This almost led me to give the book 4 stars but then I realized the rush and lack of cohesion actually reinforced its authenticity, reflecting the madness that came to him at the end of Alareer's time.
Gaza/Palestine/Israel/Zionism as the springboard for an extraordinary exploration of colonialism/raciAstonishing.
A tour de force of the first order.
Gaza/Palestine/Israel/Zionism as the springboard for an extraordinary exploration of colonialism/racism, oppression/liberation and even the intractable evil underbelly of human nature.
Patiently persuasive rather than polemical, the author makes a compelling case for decolonization as the most important influence/event in recent history, eclipsing WWI & II, the Holocaust, the end of the USSR or any other contenders for primacy.
One glaring lack: a discussion of gender roles. ...more
Lovingly crafted story(ies) of tragedy and grace during an extraordinary storm in the winter of 1952.
Reminiscent of Junger's Perfect Storm which simiLovingly crafted story(ies) of tragedy and grace during an extraordinary storm in the winter of 1952.
Reminiscent of Junger's Perfect Storm which similarly recounts the harrowing circumstances involving a New England weather event with profound impacts on a number of lives.
And there's the rub.
Pelletier wanders off into multiple storylines that are sometimes hard to follow and distract from the focus that might have been better kept if there had been seven or eight tightly knit yarns rather than the multiplicity of folks who meander in and out of the book.
That said, congrats to the author on what was clearly a labor of love. ...more
Essentially a love letter from a father to a son. Further, a letter to his prior selves and all the people Beautiful and heartbreaking.
Wise and sad.
Essentially a love letter from a father to a son. Further, a letter to his prior selves and all the people and places that helped shape him into the extraordinarily gifted writer he now is. Prominent among these are his family, his Mecca (Howard University, wonderfully described) and his brilliant and doomed friend, the tragic hero Prince Jones.
Unsentimentally and unsparingly attuned to the multitude of sins that have shaped this country. Brilliantly exposes the corruption of 鈥渞ace鈥� over the centuries, especially in the United State (down to this day). Perhaps that's best summed up by his insight that 鈥渞ace is the child of racism, not the father.鈥� ...more
Barely 2 stars...What an annoying and tedious book. Forced myself to keep going despite the mind-numbingly quotidian recitation of details that lend aBarely 2 stars...What an annoying and tedious book. Forced myself to keep going despite the mind-numbingly quotidian recitation of details that lend absolutely nothing to plot or character,
While I'm not much of spy/thriller aficionado I do enjoy the occasional le Carre. At least he exhibits flashes of creativity and unexpected twists. This one, on the other hand, is chock full of predictability.
Earnest though uneven examination of what's wrong with US cities and how to fix them. Much better at describing the pickle we're in and Thanks Henry.
Earnest though uneven examination of what's wrong with US cities and how to fix them. Much better at describing the pickle we're in and how we got here than how to remedy the problems. With respect to the former, there's solid data. As to the solutions it gets muddled and contradictory.
A couple of memorable points:
1. The need to "triage" rather than try to fix everything AND add new stuff. Let's start with cutting support to the McMansion culture de sacs. Let them support their own infrastructure. They can afford it.
2. The difference between "donating" and "serving." Money vs time....more
A Christmas gift from my trainer who's obsessed with Caddyshack and can recite lines from the movie from beginning to closing credits.
A sThank Nick.
A Christmas gift from my trainer who's obsessed with Caddyshack and can recite lines from the movie from beginning to closing credits.
A surprisingly moving 1st half involving Dangerfield's incredibly sad early life interspersed with the expected jokes.
The 2nd half has even more expected jokes, many pretty funny if quite raunchy. However, it becomes a pretty superficial recitation of his interactions with the famous and funny....more
Each chapter's foray into a new widely diverse geography is suffused with the same sensibilities; empathy, curiosity,Extraordinary on several levels.
Each chapter's foray into a new widely diverse geography is suffused with the same sensibilities; empathy, curiosity, grace and righteous anger. The bittersweet visit to Senegal, the hopeful trip to South Carolina and the gut-wrenching trip to Palestine each illuminate the complexity of the human condition.
The title suggests additional revelations from Steele's work delving into Trump's mysterious affinity for Russia and Putin but providesDisappointing.
The title suggests additional revelations from Steele's work delving into Trump's mysterious affinity for Russia and Putin but provides little new of substance on that front. Instead, Steele focusses on his personal travails which, while not trivial, are presented in a sadly self-righteous and often whiny narrative. There is also a complete lack of attention to the seamier side of the intelligence services for which he worked.
Then there is Steele's fixation on the "fact" that Putin simply MUST have kompromat on Trump (which Steele never actually produces, relying on innuendo and inference). The alternative explanation for Trump's Putin fixation, which strikes me as far more likely, is that Trump, like many insecure bullies, simply loves "tough guys" and wants to be just like them. ...more
Would have been 5+ if it were only based on the eponymous title story. Moving and beautiful and immensely sad. Unfortunately, the other two stories, wWould have been 5+ if it were only based on the eponymous title story. Moving and beautiful and immensely sad. Unfortunately, the other two stories, while quite well written, were not nearly as engaging....more
An awful lot fun! While baseball remains the sport of choice for pretty much every talented writer, Posnanski brings his considerable talents to the pAn awful lot fun! While baseball remains the sport of choice for pretty much every talented writer, Posnanski brings his considerable talents to the page in his description of 100 great football moments.
The man could write about curling and I'd read it!...more
Read this when it 1st came out more than 50 years ago, long before the internet, much less 欧宝娱乐, was a thing.
Was, and remains, the best single voRead this when it 1st came out more than 50 years ago, long before the internet, much less 欧宝娱乐, was a thing.
Was, and remains, the best single volume on the Viet Nam war by an American author. Does an unparalleled job of exploring the complex history of Southeast Asia and China prior to the advent of European colonialism. That history provides invaluable insights into the disparate ethnic and cultural forces that led the French and US into a quagmire.
Contrast Fitzgerald's approach to other "famous" books by American authors.
While Sheehan's Bright Shining Lie does a very reasonable job of presenting a nuanced and thorough retelling of America's folly in Viet Nam it nonetheless is solidly viewed through a US centric lens.
And, of course, Halberstam's Best and Brightest if often cited in the pantheon of texts about Viet Nam but its emphasis, not just on the US role in the war, but on the "importance" of American leaders in the telling is a twisted version of "great man" history, as if some other less benighted group of politicians and generals would have led to a different outcome.
A couple of other books of note (assuming you've actually gotten this far in this review) are Dispatches by Michael Herr and The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. While both are America authors, and both focus primarily on the US aspects of the war, they share a commendable sensibility involving the experiences of the American troops on the ground, the cannon fodder for those Halberstam chooses to spend his time focusing on.
Moby Dick and Ahab. The Mann Gulch fire as the Great White with Maclean as Ahab.
Unlike Melville's detachment as author, Maclean inserts himself as thMoby Dick and Ahab. The Mann Gulch fire as the Great White with Maclean as Ahab.
Unlike Melville's detachment as author, Maclean inserts himself as the utterly obsessed Captain hunting down the "truth" of what actually happened in those horrific few minutes on a stifling August afternoon.
While quantitatively a painstaking reconstruction of the deadliest day in Smokejumper history, it's also qualitatively about Maclean's assessment of what it means to be an effective storyteller.
The book demands patience of the reader as Maclean sometimes meanders into the arcane science of fires and firefighting but the passion of his pursuit of the "right" story is constant and noble.
And the (very) occasional invocations of his wife's death in service of the effort to do justice to the young men who lost their lives late that afternoon is incredibly moving....more
Remarkable. The poems themselves are highly variable, some simple and funny, others stern and hectoring. But taken as a whole, highly engaging.
What maRemarkable. The poems themselves are highly variable, some simple and funny, others stern and hectoring. But taken as a whole, highly engaging.
What makes this a 5 star is the unobtrusive scholarship that reverentially untangles the diversity of the poems. The (tentative) conclusion is that Hanshan is most likely (at least) three different poets writing across decades if not centuries with widely different approaches to the poems' style and subject matter....more
![FIRE IN THE LAKE By FRANCES FITZGERLAD Vintage Books PB 1972 1973 1st [Hardcover] Fire In The Lake](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png)
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