There is value to this book, but it's undermined by a tendency to grandiosity and a lack of scrutiny about its sources and information. It also feels There is value to this book, but it's undermined by a tendency to grandiosity and a lack of scrutiny about its sources and information. It also feels significantly outdated.
I actually ended up liking the author, who seems like a very emotionally mature, loving, and intelligent person. I think the book is written well. She is full of valuable insights about human growth and relationships. I like her boundaries and rules for a heart-centered relationship. In some parts, she takes the time to shed light on tricks we play with one another and ourselves that result in toxic relationships and how to move away from them.
I also love the general thrust and premise of the book, which is that overcoming addictive relationships requires more than anything a profound affirmation of one's own value and potential. She says this often gets lost in the over-determined, dehumanizing, deconstructive takes that therapeutic communities often get lost in, and I heartily agree. It's because these takes are so dominant that I've been going back to books from the 90s or earlier for different perspectives.
However, most of the book consists of glib, grandiose promises of the benefits of spiritual exercises, which are not very clearly defined or delineated from one another and seem to exist on an overloaded buffet plate. She carelessly lumps together entire continents of spiritual tradition, mixing them together with quotes from dubious occult sources. She has obsolete faith in the inevitable affirmation of chakras by Western society. This is nothing new; this sort of optimism that the spiritual branding of the 70s and 80s is entirely on track and is just around the corner of reaching a singularity point is definitely of its time. I don't fault her for that directly, but it makes the book harder to accept.
I think my most specific criticism along these lines is how her endless optimism of these practices - her belief in the relative ease in which they work - really does set the stage for spiritual bypassing. And this is a book where spiritual bypassing is mentioned constantly. She seems to understand the concept and be aware of it, but she doesn't recognize it, when she says over and over again how performing various inner work paradigms and spiritual practices tap you into supreme wisdom and make you a superior person. This was how it was the whole time, but I think now even mainstream advocates of inner work and meditation and the like acknowledge that these are serious, disciplined commitments to oneself, that ground you in who you are and last your entire lifetime, not processes you can perform in a weekend workshop that make you a better person. There seems to be some cognitive dissonance there.
I would recommend this book for people (like me) using their baleens to scour the landscape for as much information on relationships and codependence as they can find, but I would advise anyone else not to bother.
For people interested in a relatively holistic, somewhat spiritually inflected book from the same era, I recommend Margaret Paul's "Inner Bonding." It makes similar points but in a much more grounded and directly useful way....more
Damn, this book's great. The world's so imaginative and entertaining to learn about, I'm surprised it's not more mainstream.
I can totally see this booDamn, this book's great. The world's so imaginative and entertaining to learn about, I'm surprised it's not more mainstream.
I can totally see this book not being for everyone. The rhythm of the story is a little jagged, with smooth action being followed sometimes by confusing and elliptical conversation scenes. The writing is a little overwrought and can be unclear sometimes. And the machismo strays away from being charming (which it mostly is) into being revolting sometimes, mainly in the quite dominating primary romantic relationship.
But life on Pern is definitely interesting. It's one of those worlds full of rhythms and rituals and rules that are delicious to read and discover. And they do keep coming, up to the end of the book.
I love the dragons and their relationship to the riders; somewhere between cat and dog, independent and loyal. Their personalities slip off the page, and the way the bonds are described is actually very moving and kind of intoxicating to consider. If only all our relationships could be that telepathic, that unconditional.
This one feels obligatory for curious fantasy or sci-fi fans, unless they imagine they can't stomach all the ways it's outdated. (Technically, it's sci-fi, but the story is essentially a fantasy story)....more
The Binti trilogy is impressively imaginative and full of heart, but the execution is uneven.
The first novella is compact, potent, mythical, and inspiThe Binti trilogy is impressively imaginative and full of heart, but the execution is uneven.
The first novella is compact, potent, mythical, and inspiring. It's a story about humility, and how your personal and cultural identity can be both your greatest strength and your greatest weakness. Binti survives because of her ability (as a master harmonizer) to both harbor deep respect for her background and community ties and - at the same time - to maintain an open mind that allows her identity to evolve and grow. It's beautiful, and I recommend it to everyone.
But I kinda wish it had ended there. The rest of the installments - the short story and the later novellas - I would rate 2 stars, maybe 3 for "Binti: Home." There are some great moments and fascinating ideas, and I appreciate where the story went, but overall the story loses its momentum and tends to meander. In particular, I found the ending to be a bit too long and diffuse, with even the quality of the prose beginning to show signs of fatigue. (There are some awkward phrases, run-on sentences, and I find Binti's voice as narrator to be inconsistent and underdeveloped.)
Based on this volume, I'd say the author has a unique and impressively vivid imagination but is inconsistent in her narrative structure and prose style. I have a feeling that her editors / readers might have been (understandably) too awed by her vision to question some of her technical decisions. I'd love to read a more aggressively edited version of the same story....more
This is a 3-star book about a 5-star human being. Leonard Crow Dog was an important figure in 20th century struggle for indigenous rights. His compassThis is a 3-star book about a 5-star human being. Leonard Crow Dog was an important figure in 20th century struggle for indigenous rights. His compassionate heart and profound vision of the past, present and future led him to become a leader for his own tribe, for the Lakota, for all indigenous Americans, and even beyond that. This character, his love for his way of life and determination to protect it, pour out of this book.
There are many interesting stories here about Leonard's ancestors and about the main passion of his life: his people's traditions and rituals. However, it's not totally coherent or enlightening as a book. I mean no offense -it's just what he had available. I don't think he would be offended - he was not deeply connected with the literary realm. I'm glad I read it, and my appreciation comes from the I feel like I was in the presence of someone truly worthy of my respect and time. Like many people I admire, he is as full of his own biases, grudges, and chauvinism as he is of insight and inspiration.
The last portion of the book is about Crow Dog's involvement of the AIM movement of the early and mid-1970s. His story is of course very important in a broader understanding these events. But it's clear that he's recounting them from a perspective of anger and pain, so I don't think it's possible to view it as the full story. It's part of a bigger tapestry. I'm left wanting to learn more....more
This was both my first Western (despite not being set very far west) and first L'Amour book, and I thought it was decently fun. It mostly accomplishedThis was both my first Western (despite not being set very far west) and first L'Amour book, and I thought it was decently fun. It mostly accomplished what it set out to do.
I don't know how he compares with other L'Amour characters, but I enjoyed the kind of cultish machismo of Talon and his superiority to everyone and anyone who ever lived. If there had been just a couple more scenes with him with his shirt off and/or pistol whipping guys to death, I might be more convinced he was completely jacked. As such, I'm not sure. But seriously, he was unexpectedly philosophical about political stability and power dynamics, which I (non-sarcastically) appreciated. It was at least entertaining if not intellectually impressive - I was glad L'Amour went there.
The plot was a little ambitious in scope for its length and the relative importance of its characters, but it mostly works, and the drama adds to the fun.
The biggest flaw is that ending was a little swift and unsatisfying. It seems like in the last 30 pages half a dozen characters are introduced, who might have done something interesting, but don't have the time to....more
Another brilliant, short, gently intense book by Robert A. Johnson. If you're familiar with his writing already, this book won't have much new materiaAnother brilliant, short, gently intense book by Robert A. Johnson. If you're familiar with his writing already, this book won't have much new material. However, it's always a pleasure to spend some time in his company.
The core lesson of the book is how to recognize your projections and learn to withdraw them from outside objects. The withdrawal process isn't something simple, but the result of a lifelong quest, an endless vigilance and willingness to endure suffering all the way through to the other side. Johnson does an excellent job in presenting this process with grace and simplicity, not painting it as either a war or a quagmire. It's a soft-spoken guide on personal awakening, with a surprising amount of depth granted its short length. In particular, I loved his chapter on loneliness and the different types of loneliness.
I have two little warnings:
1. Johnson, a Jungian, talks about Christianity and Christian ideas with a lot of reverence and appreciation. However, this is not a Christian book nor is it giving a traditional Christian perspective on things. This might be offensive in both directions - to devout Christians and to atheists or former Christians who are uncomfortable with Christian imagery.
2. Johnson, a master storyteller, is often inaccurate in his depictions of history or his explanations of words, symbols, or customs. Take his examples as examples only, not actual education in what he's talking about....more
A collection of snippets transcribed from various talks by a well-loved teacher with a somewhat nonconservative attitude. It's a good introduction or A collection of snippets transcribed from various talks by a well-loved teacher with a somewhat nonconservative attitude. It's a good introduction or reminder to Buddhist concepts. A bit disorganized, but it's short and potent. I found it valuable to digest in small doses....more
The most common criticisms of this book are that it doesn't tell the full story of Israel-Palestine. This is true, but I don't think it's the worst flThe most common criticisms of this book are that it doesn't tell the full story of Israel-Palestine. This is true, but I don't think it's the worst flaw. This problem - which is present both in the non-Israel-Palestine-focused first half as much as in the second - is narcissism. Whatever Coates is talking about, it's always centered around his reputation or his own personal emotional struggles. It seems the turning point of every chapter is when he discovers some young academic who loves his books. You could read the chapter on Israel-Palestine not as a critique of the Israeli government so much as a self-scourging apology for talking about Israel in "The Case for Reparations" in a way that he now finds embarrassing. He wants to make sure that his peers understand that he has an acceptable take on the situation.
I'm sure his trip in 2023 was indeed impactful for him. Also, he makes some good points comparing Israel-Palestine both to the Jim Crow South and South African Apartheid regime. It seems well-researched and thoughtful. But I don't think he has enough to offer to make the book worth all the controversy.
If you are unflinchingly pro-Israel, you'll obviously hate this book. But, even if you are critical of the Israeli government, there are better books out there that stand on firmer ground and give you more nutritive information....more
The scientific concept is interesting, and there's the glimmer of an interesting world, but the book ends up being fascinatingly, almost mysteriously The scientific concept is interesting, and there's the glimmer of an interesting world, but the book ends up being fascinatingly, almost mysteriously boring. Brin is an excellent prosesmith and there is the makings of something exciting here, so I almost felt a kind of cognitive dissonance at how uninteresting the story ends up being. It feels like a better book than it actually is. Without revealing spoilers, I'd say what happens right at the end of the book's major climax is a good metaphor for the book itself.
I think it's because:
1. There's no real gravity to the plot - with a few exceptions, events and characters come and go without giving us much of a chance to connect with them, and very little feels at stake, until absolutely everything is. Events seem arbitrary. Some events are never fully explained or resolved, others are deflated by meek explanations or resolutions.
2. The character is unbalanced in a way that makes her unrelatable - she's too powerless and ignorant to move along her path with any sense of agency, but at the same time she's also too much of a know-it-all and pretentious baby boss when she does have agency for us to feel like she's really learning anything or overcoming challenges.
3. The major social and political conflict of the novel doesn't suit the world very much. The conflict is between stability vs. growth, conservatism vs. progress, or stagnation vs. energy - but I would say a world dominated by female clones is a better setting for a conflict between collectivism vs. individuality, conformity vs. self-expression, or tradition vs. creativity. The values I'm bringing up are definitely related to what Brin focused on, and yet he never really explores them, which seems to miss the point of his own world. The cause of life finding its way, in the face of a powerful system, with Conway's Game of Life as a metaphor, Maia struggling forward and defending her beloved visitor, seems like a rebuke to a society in a different book.
4. The world, as interesting as it is, isn't painted in bright enough colors. I.e., you don't get a strong taste of what it is or what it looks like. I think the best example of this is the lugars - these huge furry humanoid sasquatch creatures that are used as draft animals and make for a very exotic and unique environment - but that you forget about as they're only mentioned every 200 pages or so. I wouldn't be surprised if someone who has read the book is saying "Oh yeah, those things." They barely feel like they're in the book.
In the end, this is a 772-page missed opportunity....more
I've read a lot of this type of book. I tend to enjoy them, learn a few lessons, and move on, but few really stick with me.
I think this one stands outI've read a lot of this type of book. I tend to enjoy them, learn a few lessons, and move on, but few really stick with me.
I think this one stands out. The concepts are relatively simple and powerful. I especially like the core Inner Bonding methodology. If I were to sum it up in one sentence, I'd say it's rooted in the belief that people in our civilization are generally split between a responsible rational side and an arational (not irrational) feeling and intuitive side, and this split needs to be paid attention to before you can make progress in anything else. These concepts aren't unique or new by any means, but the unique formulation in this book is particularly profound, simple, and applicable. The split I mentioned above isn't "a" split - it's "the" split. And I think the advice to prioritize healing this rift is extremely apt and intelligent.
The book also provides a very substantial amount of example stories and dialogues - something I found very helpful and want to see more in books outlining difficult therapeutic concepts like Inner Bonding. I could even do with more of them; I feel like I haven't quite absorbed the process yet.
Finally, I appreciate Paul's practical, concrete tone. She has a lot of beliefs, and even gets into concepts I'm not really on board with (there's one brief, cringey observation she makes that seems connected to the "Satanic Panic" craze that was popular when the book was published), but I find her perspective very grounded and based on concrete observations of interpersonal interactions. Everything seems to be rooted in her experience and careful thought, rather than relying on a high concept. The concepts are born from real work and are in service of real work....more
I was looking forward to something interesting and insightful, a historical document for me to peruse, and I ended Essential reading for human beings.
I was looking forward to something interesting and insightful, a historical document for me to peruse, and I ended up being moved and inspired way more deeply than I was expecting. The book is that intimate and powerful.
Both the book and the man's life are outstanding. This is a true story of transformation, of what someone goes through and what he becomes when he's fully committed to living and and to the truth. The point is not to do the things that Malcolm did or believe all the things he said, but to observe who he was as a human person, how he felt about himself, how he invented himself, and how he inspired other people to do the same.
Make sure you read the whole book - he's a very different person by the end, and by the end I mean the end of Alex Haley's epilogue. Through Haley's more humble perspective and voice, we get a different perspective on Malcolm and insight into how the book was written, how Malcolm's ideas changed even while it was being written. The author's attitude shifts along with the material of the life story. Always changing, always growing, always on fire....more
As a whole, this collection is very uneven, but two essays, "Notes of a Native Son," and "Stranger in the Village," are 5-star works of literature thaAs a whole, this collection is very uneven, but two essays, "Notes of a Native Son," and "Stranger in the Village," are 5-star works of literature that make the volume worth possessing.
"Notes of a Native Son" is patient, intimate, precise, and deeply moving - an account of Baldwin's father in life and death, of Harlem, and of his experience in a nation that doesn't fully accept him.
"Stranger in the Village" is incisive, broad, complex, and enlightening - a short but complete meditation on the meaning of racism, and race, and what wrestling with race means for America. It's about the wounded identity and the inability to grasp what both white and black America's true inheritance is.
Both are must reads.
The rest are at best interesting, with a few good points here and there. But they are a bit obtuse, academic, snide, and sometimes cynical bordering on nihilistic. Of particular note are the story of Baldwin's time in a French prison; his take on American expatriate culture in France; and his critiques of Richard Wright. ...more
This is a powerful collection of novellas and well deserves its place in the history of American literature. It features Wright's characteristically iThis is a powerful collection of novellas and well deserves its place in the history of American literature. It features Wright's characteristically intimate and intense narrative voice, going deeply into the inner sense-making of his tortured and struggling characters, observing their minds chase after any shreds of hope available, and despair as they slide helplessly into impossible situations. It's rough and brutal and potentially life-changing. The book's intention was to place the horrors of the Jim Crow South firmly and clearly in the American conscience, and it was a resounding success.
However, the prose is flat and solipsistic in some places, which is something I also didn't like about Native Son. And, more unique to this volume, there is a tendency toward maudlin characterizations and melodrama. This is most noticeable in the last two novellas, which are full of a long-outdated optimism about the Communist party. They tend even to feel propagandistic. There is some value to the exaggerations, some appreciation of a folkloric and mythical dimension of the characters, and the attempt to model some kind of hope, but they make the book feel less alive.
UTC is good, but it's not as essential to modern readers as Black Boy. If you haven't read Black Boy yet, I would recommend you try that before this one....more
It's of some enjoyment and value, but I recommend this volume for UKLG completionists only.
For my money, the story of most value here is "Malheur CounIt's of some enjoyment and value, but I recommend this volume for UKLG completionists only.
For my money, the story of most value here is "Malheur County," which is the least ambitious thematically. I give honorable mentions to "Two Delays on the Northern Line," which belongs to Le Guin's underrated "Orisinia" setting; "Small Change," which is a small and bizarre standalone mythic experience; "Diary of the Rose," a psychological dystopian tale with a strong core*; and "Sur," which is a charming, understated feminist reimagining of the last years of the age of exploration.
For the most part, however, I would say the stories in this collection are at best trivial, when they succeed at not being unmemorable or even downright annoying.
I love Le Guin, but this book makes it clear that her best creative output went into the major settings she created: the Hainish/Ekumen sci fi universe; the fantasy world of Earthsea; and, as I mentioned above, the underrated Orisinia, which is her canvas for reflections on European and European-influenced culture, history, and literature. Orsinia is the only one of the three settings that is invoked in this book. There's a very noticeable fixation on psychology as a technology to be feared and dystopian settings, and one gets dystopian hospital fatigue 100 pages or so into the volume. If these worked at the time (I'm told this fits with a "New Wave" trend in the 1970s), they're not very interesting now.
*One of the characters in Diary of the Rose has the same last name (Sorde) as a major character in another of her Orsinia books, so this might be an Orsinian story. But there isn't enough additional verifiably Orsinian content to determine if that's the case or if this is just a reference....more
This volume is silly in conception but enjoyable and moving just the same.
The obvious intention was to publish the 40ish-page title story - which is bThis volume is silly in conception but enjoyable and moving just the same.
The obvious intention was to publish the 40ish-page title story - which is breathtaking and funny and tragic all in one - but then puff up the volume with a few other stories, some poems, some drawings, some introductory passages in italics, and a lot of blank pages. The content is mostly excellent, but also mostly had appeared elsewhere already at the time of publication. I'd say, in addition to Buffalo Gals, May's Lion was my favorite. Tears streaming down my face, after both of those.
You can even read the title story elsewhere now, because UKLG's stories have all been repackaged and republished in big volumes. But I think this volume, as trivial as it may be, is light and printed with nice big text, which is perfect for, say, taking on a camping trip....more
This book is meticulous, brutal, maddening, and enlightening. It's been on my list for a long time, and I'm glad I finally got to it. However, I wouldThis book is meticulous, brutal, maddening, and enlightening. It's been on my list for a long time, and I'm glad I finally got to it. However, I would say the book is more important than it is good. It's a difficult book because of the subject matter, which is nothing less than a relentless examination of a person struggling to emerge from moral injury (taking the form of a story of a crime committed by a black man in 1930s Chicago). This is no problem; I like and crave difficult books.
And yet, it's not just difficult, it's also boring. This is due to being about 30% too long and too invested in trying to piece together and label the totality of its protagonist's thought processes, which often remove you from the action and the world the book created for multiple pages. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it just seems obsessive. Wright shows an immature fastidiousness in trying to capture and label every turn of thought. Perhaps this was motivated by a valid grasp of the book's importance, and the need to deliver as much of its reality as possible, but it does a little damage. If you're only going to read one book by Richard Wright, I recommend Black Boy.
Yet I do recommend Native Son for those who think they have the stomach for its length and its tendency to solipsistic inner narrative. It's a powerful and compassionate take on the forces that pull people away from the courses that lead to comfortable, orderly lives, as relevant today as when it was written. We could all do with a better understanding of the deep emotional yearning, the fear, the fragile or even missing sense of self that leads to people lashing out in the way they do. This even goes beyond analyzing social conditions - it's about the basic, deep, often wordless desire to be permitted to be human in another's eyes. As the book implies at the end, focusing on social conditions gets very close to the needed empathetic gesture, but even that will always miss the mark. But there is a lot of appreciation and gratitude even for that. It's a soberly hopeful book, along with all the blood and terror. It believes in its importance, as a story needing to be told....more
This book is brilliant in how it paints the picture of codependence as a dysfunction resulting from the disruption ofI read the original 1989 edition.
This book is brilliant in how it paints the picture of codependence as a dysfunction resulting from the disruption of a child's social and cultural development. That is to say, children can be wounded in a many ways that affect their development, but codependence specifically is caused by interference in the child's attempts to learn how to be with other people, with society in general, and with the world as a system (i.e., philosophy/spirituality).
This is a very interesting and relatively unique take, and I think it's a good explanation for how someone can be relatively high-functioning, intelligent, and even have a relatively balanced personality, and yet not be able to find success or even stability. I think millions of people experience this but are unfortunately programmed to view themselves as failures rather than learning about the invisible wounds they've experienced and the huge influence they have on one's life.
I also admire how Mellody is bold enough to refer to spirituality as a basic need for all people. This is a controversial topic to say the least. I think she's right and has an insightful way of defining spirituality outside of religion (an acceptance of one's imperfect control over their life and an understanding that one can have a relationship with its source). But, even though this book is 35 years old, I think this concept is still a bit fragile and probably only appealing to people who are inclined to agree. She's definitely not writing in a way that will appeal to anyone who's not open to the idea that spirituality is a fundamental human need.
The book feels a little outdated, on top of that. Not fatally so, but enough to make it feel limited and to leave a lot of unanswered questions for the contemporary reader.
Finally, though I follow her arguments and really do believe her general worldview is sound, I do sense that the concepts are still a little too broad, and I smell a lack of professional rigor here that is a little disconcerting. It put me in a "take what works and leave the rest" mindset from the beginning. I would recommend approaching this book as an introduction to a valuable philosophy and an invitation to begin on one's own inquiry into the nature of their sense of self rather than a tried and true system. I bet there are other things out there to help support and fill out what Mellody started....more
Loading...
