Nonfiction as of May 2011
With school over, I figured I should start reading nonfiction books to make up for the inevitable "You are not learning anything" vacuum in my brain. Not that I've been reading nonstop nonfiction; I try to alternate between a bit of fiction, and a bit of nonfiction. Since LJ is dead anyway, I might as well exercise whatever writing skills I have that survived graduate school in writing new entries; it's like firing bullets into an empty field.
So here is what I plan to do: Every so often I will try to write about the nonfiction books I have been reading. These won't be "fresh on the mind" reviews; the furthest I'll go back is look them up on my reader history on the library's website (if the library I borrowed from has the feature) or look them up on Amazon for linking purposes. If I don't even remember reading the book, then I won't bother writing about it.
In this edition:
Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan
by Jake Adelstein
This book doesn't get into how the author even ended up studying and working in Japan (although it is referenced on the Amazon blurbs). He writes about the process of becoming a reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, the corporate culture, and how you work your way through the ranks. The intro "teaser" chapter was of Adelstein receiving death threats should he go ahead with publishing a story involving Yakuza. Most of the corporate culture quirks mentioned in the book would be no surprise to any idiot who minored in Japanese Studies in college (like me!), but sadly it would provide evidence for the "bad" things you've heard about Japanese corporate culture, such as with how they treat women and foreigners, etc. Eventually Adelstein made his way to reporting about the red light district in Tokyo, which was quite an educational read. From that point he ended up involved in campaigning against human trafficking in Japan, so you're left thinking, oh, that's nice, he's not just another white dude turned English teacher who married and had hapa babies. Overall the author's writing style makes it easy to read through some notably difficult topics. If the author publishes another book (likely to focus on his work regarding human trafficking), I'd read it.
You should read this book if:
Dewey's Nine Lives: The Legacy of the Small-Town Library Cat Who Inspired Millions
by Vicki Myron, with Bret Witter
This book is a follow-up to Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by the same authors. The original Dewey book generated so much reader feedback (more cat stories) that the authors felt compelled to publish a follow-up. Each chapter features a different cat & human story. Some stories are more fascinating than others. I liked this book, and the original Dewey book, because I can only love cats when they don't have their dander to activate my allergies.
You should read this book if:
The Magnetic North: Notes from the Arctic Circle
by Sara Wheeler
I had previously read Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica. I thought that since I really enjoyed the author's book about Antarctica, I would surely enjoy her book about the Arctic Circle. The result? No... not so much.
Terra Incognita had the appeal of covering the topic closest to exploring new worlds without having to go off planet (that, or deep sea exploration). Magnetic North has chapters on multiple countries that have territories within the Arctic Circle and instead of exploration and scientific discovery (as was the case in Terra Incognita), the common thread in Magnetic North is that outsiders came to the Arctic Circle, screwed up the lives of the indigenous people there, are exploiting the Arctic Circle's natural resources (oil) and are also dumping radioactive waste in the Arctic Circle (well, just the Russians). It's depressing.
Another issue I have with Magnetic North is that while it also has historical segments like Terra Incognita, I felt that it was incorporated into Terra Incognita's material more efficiently. Magnetic North had me wondering if an editor ever saw the book before it was published.
Read Terra Incognita; skip The Magnetic North unless you are an Arctic Circle fanatic and/or enjoy reading stories about Arctic expeditions gone bad as characterised by shoe-eating for survival or worse.
Dirty Sexy Politics by Meghan McCain
YES I READ A BOOK BY A REPUBLICAN OH LORD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME
Several months ago, I saw Meghan McCain brave an appearance on The Daily Show in order to promote this book. Jon Stewart showed no mercy and Meghan McCain definitely had an above average giggle rate for a Daily Show guest, but she handled it pretty well, considering she's neither a politician nor some "celebrity". I developed some sympathy for her when she mentioned how people on the campaign trail were coaching her on how to look less like a stripper, in spite of having a pregnant teenager on the campaign as well. When I saw this on the shelf at the library, I figured, why not?
Given the book's rather low page count and eyestrain-friendly line spacing, this book could easily be at home in the Teen/Young Adult sections of a library. More than once, she mentions that she likes wearing dresses with tights or leggings and loves her UGG boots (yes, she mentions the specific brand). For almost every key moment she mentions in the book she also recalls what outfit she had on, sometimes down to the designer; for example when she and her mother met Mrs. Bush and her daughter(s) she wore a Dianne von Furstenburg dress with Tory Burch shoes and oh god why do I remember this crap. *slams head on desk*
McCain mentions right off the bat that she is not a highly political person, which is no surprise to anyone who has seen her during the 2008 election coverage. She complains that people call her a RINO---Republican in Name Only, even though the only political statements she made in the book center around "being raised to appreciate freedom". Yes, she likes freedom, which covers having gay friends, supporting gay marriage, supporting contraception as a pro-choice strategy...I could totally see why they call her a RINO. She expresses her disapproval of the current Republican "groupthink" which eschews freedom and discloses that she originally registered to vote Independent, since she became of voting age when Bush was president (...I don't blame her).
Fun fact: After her father lost the election, she got out of a speeding ticket in Arizona by saying "I'm sorry, my father just lost the presidential election." She also played a lot of Rock Band.
So here is what I plan to do: Every so often I will try to write about the nonfiction books I have been reading. These won't be "fresh on the mind" reviews; the furthest I'll go back is look them up on my reader history on the library's website (if the library I borrowed from has the feature) or look them up on Amazon for linking purposes. If I don't even remember reading the book, then I won't bother writing about it.
In this edition:
- Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan by Jake Adelstein
- Dewey's Nine Lives: The Legacy of the Small-Town Library Cat Who Inspired Millions by Vicki Myron, with Bret Witter
- The Magnetic North: Notes from the Arctic Circle by Sara Wheeler
- Dirty Sexy Politics by Meghan McCain
Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan
by Jake Adelstein
This book doesn't get into how the author even ended up studying and working in Japan (although it is referenced on the Amazon blurbs). He writes about the process of becoming a reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, the corporate culture, and how you work your way through the ranks. The intro "teaser" chapter was of Adelstein receiving death threats should he go ahead with publishing a story involving Yakuza. Most of the corporate culture quirks mentioned in the book would be no surprise to any idiot who minored in Japanese Studies in college (like me!), but sadly it would provide evidence for the "bad" things you've heard about Japanese corporate culture, such as with how they treat women and foreigners, etc. Eventually Adelstein made his way to reporting about the red light district in Tokyo, which was quite an educational read. From that point he ended up involved in campaigning against human trafficking in Japan, so you're left thinking, oh, that's nice, he's not just another white dude turned English teacher who married and had hapa babies. Overall the author's writing style makes it easy to read through some notably difficult topics. If the author publishes another book (likely to focus on his work regarding human trafficking), I'd read it.
You should read this book if:
- You always wanted to learn more about the Yakuza and how people actually get to report about them without getting killed
- You always wanted to learn more about the newspaper industry (or print media in general) in Japan
- You always wanted to learn about the red light district in Japan and how the hell they make money off things like soaplands
Dewey's Nine Lives: The Legacy of the Small-Town Library Cat Who Inspired Millions
by Vicki Myron, with Bret Witter
This book is a follow-up to Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by the same authors. The original Dewey book generated so much reader feedback (more cat stories) that the authors felt compelled to publish a follow-up. Each chapter features a different cat & human story. Some stories are more fascinating than others. I liked this book, and the original Dewey book, because I can only love cats when they don't have their dander to activate my allergies.
You should read this book if:
- You like stories about people and their pets
- You like stories about pet rescues (specifically cats)
- You like cats
- You are a crazy cat person
- You are on your way to becoming a crazy cat person.
The Magnetic North: Notes from the Arctic Circle
by Sara Wheeler
I had previously read Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica. I thought that since I really enjoyed the author's book about Antarctica, I would surely enjoy her book about the Arctic Circle. The result? No... not so much.
Terra Incognita had the appeal of covering the topic closest to exploring new worlds without having to go off planet (that, or deep sea exploration). Magnetic North has chapters on multiple countries that have territories within the Arctic Circle and instead of exploration and scientific discovery (as was the case in Terra Incognita), the common thread in Magnetic North is that outsiders came to the Arctic Circle, screwed up the lives of the indigenous people there, are exploiting the Arctic Circle's natural resources (oil) and are also dumping radioactive waste in the Arctic Circle (well, just the Russians). It's depressing.
Another issue I have with Magnetic North is that while it also has historical segments like Terra Incognita, I felt that it was incorporated into Terra Incognita's material more efficiently. Magnetic North had me wondering if an editor ever saw the book before it was published.
Read Terra Incognita; skip The Magnetic North unless you are an Arctic Circle fanatic and/or enjoy reading stories about Arctic expeditions gone bad as characterised by shoe-eating for survival or worse.
Dirty Sexy Politics by Meghan McCain
YES I READ A BOOK BY A REPUBLICAN OH LORD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME
Several months ago, I saw Meghan McCain brave an appearance on The Daily Show in order to promote this book. Jon Stewart showed no mercy and Meghan McCain definitely had an above average giggle rate for a Daily Show guest, but she handled it pretty well, considering she's neither a politician nor some "celebrity". I developed some sympathy for her when she mentioned how people on the campaign trail were coaching her on how to look less like a stripper, in spite of having a pregnant teenager on the campaign as well. When I saw this on the shelf at the library, I figured, why not?
Given the book's rather low page count and eyestrain-friendly line spacing, this book could easily be at home in the Teen/Young Adult sections of a library. More than once, she mentions that she likes wearing dresses with tights or leggings and loves her UGG boots (yes, she mentions the specific brand). For almost every key moment she mentions in the book she also recalls what outfit she had on, sometimes down to the designer; for example when she and her mother met Mrs. Bush and her daughter(s) she wore a Dianne von Furstenburg dress with Tory Burch shoes and oh god why do I remember this crap. *slams head on desk*
McCain mentions right off the bat that she is not a highly political person, which is no surprise to anyone who has seen her during the 2008 election coverage. She complains that people call her a RINO---Republican in Name Only, even though the only political statements she made in the book center around "being raised to appreciate freedom". Yes, she likes freedom, which covers having gay friends, supporting gay marriage, supporting contraception as a pro-choice strategy...I could totally see why they call her a RINO. She expresses her disapproval of the current Republican "groupthink" which eschews freedom and discloses that she originally registered to vote Independent, since she became of voting age when Bush was president (...I don't blame her).
Fun fact: After her father lost the election, she got out of a speeding ticket in Arizona by saying "I'm sorry, my father just lost the presidential election." She also played a lot of Rock Band.