Book Reviews
OK, y'know how I was going to read 22 books in my 22nd year? Well, I've been working on that, but I'm way behind on my reviews. So here they are.
Once again, keep in mind that I'm using the "seven out of" rating system. Every book gets seven points; I just change what it's 'out of' depending on the book.
'God Is Dead' - Ron Currie Jr. (Fiction)
This is a very intriguing and appealing book, and one which doesn't do a lot for one's faith in humanity. In this book, God takes the form of a young Dinka woman who is massacred in Darfur. In the following days and years, the world must adjust to life without a deity. The wild dogs who scavenged God's flesh are endowed with the power of speech. Parents worship their children. With no religion to fight over, a world war erupts between Postmodern Anthropologist and Evolutionary Psychologist factions. This book tells of tragedy after tragedy, but does so with a very human touch, and occasionally manages to be funny. For example, Colin Powell utters the phrase "Apology accepted, bitch-ass." It's not an easy read emotionally, but I highly recommend it and have a 2nd copy if you'd like to borrow it.
Final score: Seven out of nine.
'Water For Elephants' - Sara Gruen (Fiction)
A depression-era tale of a Polish kid in vet school who runs off and joins the circus when his parents unexpectedly die. It's not the most compelling story - in fact, it has an almost unbelievable happy ending - but it's a real fun read and it's a great look at the life of a travelling circus in the 1930s. The real heroine of the book is the eponymous elephant, Rosie, who steals the show from the narrator, in my opinion.
Final score: Seven out of eleven.
'Democracy In Alberta: Social Credit and the Party System' - C. B. MacPherson (Nonfiction)
This book is a little bit out of context outside of a university degree, but offers some interesting insights into why politics in Alberta were the way they were and are the way they are. The concept of farmers as independent commodity producers (rather than, say, bourgeois or proletariat) led to a pretty unique political situation, sort of a one-party system, starting with the United Farmers of Alberta and followed by William Aberhart's Social Credit movement. It's a tough read, and I struggled with it at times, but it got me thinking about things I don't usually think about, which was good.
Final score: Seven out of ten.
'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell' - Susannah Clarke (Fiction)
It's been suggested that this book is a 'study in the great Victorian novel', although it was published in 2004. Clocking in at almost 800 pages, it is set in the early 1800s, as two men, the elderly bookworm Mr. Norrell and the young and impulsive Jonathan Strange, attempt to bring practical magic back to England. This isn't your usual Harry Potter type stuff - the whole tone of the book is a lot more serious, almost academic - it even has made-up footnotes and all. It's also considerably darker, especially the passages where Jonathan Strange teams up with the Duke of Wellington in the Napoleonic wars. Women are appropriated by fairies, corpses are reanimated, cities are moved, prophecies are fulfilled, and the mysterious magic of England's ancient Raven King is invoked. I thought this was a real fun book, if you have a lot of patience.
Final score: Seven out of nine.
'My Name Is Asher Lev' - Chaim Potok (Fiction)
One of the best books I've read. Asher Lev is a boy growing up in a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn with an incredible gift for painting. However, such things have no place in the religious and social context he grows up in. Asher finds that the choice between accepting one's gift and doing what's right for one's family is not an easy one. Not only is it a good read, but it's a neat look at traditional Judaism, as the author himself is a rabbi.
Final score: Seven out of eight.
'River In A Dry Land: A Prairie Passage' - Trevor Herriot (Nonfiction)
One of the worst books I've ever read. It's about the Qu'Appelle River valley in Saskatchewan. The author has an over-sentimental style, especially when he's railing against the environmental and social ruin prevalent in the area. He bemoans the current state, then follows it up with a "I can't help but wonder if things would have been different if..." instead of offering any real solutions or suggestions. He's also got a vendetta against engineers, believing they cause environmental disruption simply 'because they can', or for their own enjoyment, neglecting the fact that they are simply meeting the demands of society at large, a society Herriot seems to think he is above.
Herriot has an awful lot to say about how he would like the world to be, not a lot about how it is or how it could practically be improved. After reading 'Nine Ways To Cross A River', this book falls completely flat in comparison. Instead of calling for a collaboration between science and activism as Akiko Busch does, Herriot seeks to set these two 'sides' in opposition to each other. We're never going to accomplish anything that way, Trev.
Final score: Seven out of twenty-five.
In retrospect, I think I need to move on to some more nonfiction, or at least serious fiction. However, I do have a copy of 'Cell' by Stephen King here tempting me...
Once again, keep in mind that I'm using the "seven out of" rating system. Every book gets seven points; I just change what it's 'out of' depending on the book.
'God Is Dead' - Ron Currie Jr. (Fiction)
This is a very intriguing and appealing book, and one which doesn't do a lot for one's faith in humanity. In this book, God takes the form of a young Dinka woman who is massacred in Darfur. In the following days and years, the world must adjust to life without a deity. The wild dogs who scavenged God's flesh are endowed with the power of speech. Parents worship their children. With no religion to fight over, a world war erupts between Postmodern Anthropologist and Evolutionary Psychologist factions. This book tells of tragedy after tragedy, but does so with a very human touch, and occasionally manages to be funny. For example, Colin Powell utters the phrase "Apology accepted, bitch-ass." It's not an easy read emotionally, but I highly recommend it and have a 2nd copy if you'd like to borrow it.
Final score: Seven out of nine.
'Water For Elephants' - Sara Gruen (Fiction)
A depression-era tale of a Polish kid in vet school who runs off and joins the circus when his parents unexpectedly die. It's not the most compelling story - in fact, it has an almost unbelievable happy ending - but it's a real fun read and it's a great look at the life of a travelling circus in the 1930s. The real heroine of the book is the eponymous elephant, Rosie, who steals the show from the narrator, in my opinion.
Final score: Seven out of eleven.
'Democracy In Alberta: Social Credit and the Party System' - C. B. MacPherson (Nonfiction)
This book is a little bit out of context outside of a university degree, but offers some interesting insights into why politics in Alberta were the way they were and are the way they are. The concept of farmers as independent commodity producers (rather than, say, bourgeois or proletariat) led to a pretty unique political situation, sort of a one-party system, starting with the United Farmers of Alberta and followed by William Aberhart's Social Credit movement. It's a tough read, and I struggled with it at times, but it got me thinking about things I don't usually think about, which was good.
Final score: Seven out of ten.
'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell' - Susannah Clarke (Fiction)
It's been suggested that this book is a 'study in the great Victorian novel', although it was published in 2004. Clocking in at almost 800 pages, it is set in the early 1800s, as two men, the elderly bookworm Mr. Norrell and the young and impulsive Jonathan Strange, attempt to bring practical magic back to England. This isn't your usual Harry Potter type stuff - the whole tone of the book is a lot more serious, almost academic - it even has made-up footnotes and all. It's also considerably darker, especially the passages where Jonathan Strange teams up with the Duke of Wellington in the Napoleonic wars. Women are appropriated by fairies, corpses are reanimated, cities are moved, prophecies are fulfilled, and the mysterious magic of England's ancient Raven King is invoked. I thought this was a real fun book, if you have a lot of patience.
Final score: Seven out of nine.
'My Name Is Asher Lev' - Chaim Potok (Fiction)
One of the best books I've read. Asher Lev is a boy growing up in a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn with an incredible gift for painting. However, such things have no place in the religious and social context he grows up in. Asher finds that the choice between accepting one's gift and doing what's right for one's family is not an easy one. Not only is it a good read, but it's a neat look at traditional Judaism, as the author himself is a rabbi.
Final score: Seven out of eight.
'River In A Dry Land: A Prairie Passage' - Trevor Herriot (Nonfiction)
One of the worst books I've ever read. It's about the Qu'Appelle River valley in Saskatchewan. The author has an over-sentimental style, especially when he's railing against the environmental and social ruin prevalent in the area. He bemoans the current state, then follows it up with a "I can't help but wonder if things would have been different if..." instead of offering any real solutions or suggestions. He's also got a vendetta against engineers, believing they cause environmental disruption simply 'because they can', or for their own enjoyment, neglecting the fact that they are simply meeting the demands of society at large, a society Herriot seems to think he is above.
Herriot has an awful lot to say about how he would like the world to be, not a lot about how it is or how it could practically be improved. After reading 'Nine Ways To Cross A River', this book falls completely flat in comparison. Instead of calling for a collaboration between science and activism as Akiko Busch does, Herriot seeks to set these two 'sides' in opposition to each other. We're never going to accomplish anything that way, Trev.
Final score: Seven out of twenty-five.
In retrospect, I think I need to move on to some more nonfiction, or at least serious fiction. However, I do have a copy of 'Cell' by Stephen King here tempting me...