Books for April
* (F) The unknown terrorist by Richard Flanagan
I got this from the airport on my way back from Sydney and it was well suited to the task. It's kinda trashy but scarily realistic in showing how the media and the state can have vested interests in keeping us all terrified of terrorists. I mean Sydney train stations still don't have their rubbish bins back. Srsly.
* (F) The secret river by Kate Grenville
I bought this for Di for some occasion, of course a great present to borrow back. ;) It's about a man that is sentenced to transportation and arrives in Sydney with his wife and child, and the life that they make in Sydney, and in particular their relationship with the Aboriginal people who live on the land that they settle. It's well done... without excusing how white boat people treated Aborigines, it does a great job of providing context for what life might have been like for those early arrivers.
* (F) The boat by Nam Le
This is a collection of short stories, well there's only six, so they're not that short. I particularly liked three: the opener, "Love and honour and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice", a second-generation Vietnamese migrant to the US who gets a visit from his father. The third story, "Meeting Elise", about an aging New York orchestra musician and his relationship with his partner and daughter. And the last, "The Boat", about a journey of Vietnamese refugees in a boat to Australia. Reminds me of recently proposed anti-people smuggling laws that may criminalise sending money to would-be refugees back home, lest they use it on people smugglers. ZOMG.
* (NF) Here comes everybody by Clay Shirky
I did own an older copy of this, but I gave it away after my Free as in Freedom miniconf at LCA 2009. For some reason. Then I decided I needed to read it again before I gave a talk at the National Library about Wikipedia. It was actually good, buying a new copy, as it had a new epilogue with interesting information about laws giving recognition to virtual organisations, like Vermont's laws for virtual corporations. I certainly don't agree with everything Shirky says, but I think he is usefully insightful about internet communities and especially the dynamics that drive (sites like) Wikipedia.
* (NF) The life you can save by Peter Singer
I think Singer should put this under a Creative Commons license once the publishing is done. Would help him get the word out, as he wants.
This is very readable, in a kind of "I want to challenge myself" way. It's easy to read but hard to digest, maybe. Singer goes through all the different kinds of arguments against personal giving towards eradicating easily avoidable death and crippling poverty. It's pretty convincing. And although it's hard to avoid the conclusion "most people in the Global North do not consider all human life to be equally important", and that there's no good argument for giving money to first world causes like the arts and expensive education institutions, while people elsewhere are dying of easily avoidable diseases. So I think it's hard to read because rarely do we have to come to terms with our own hypocrisy.
Throughout most of the book Singer argues for giving away all income bar what you need to sustain yourself. (And hint, bottled water and $60 haircuts are not included.) But then in the last chapter it's as if he says "Well, I know virtually no one is going to change their life that much, so here's a sliding scale, that for those earning under $100,000 is 5%." It's kind of a relief, but oddly inconsistent with the rest of the book.
There is also an interesting discussion about the motivations/explanations for giving that people often have, like arguing that their altruism is just "self-interest" (seen from 10,000 feet perhaps). "[W]hen generous people speak openly about how much they give away, they do more than encourage others to do the same. They also challenge an assumption about our behaviour that permeates western culture, and particularly American culture: the norm of self-interest." Like it's suspicious to just be caring or considerate.
Finally the most shocking thing in the book was the calculation of how little the very rich would need to give, to make an incredible dent in world poverty. I guess that is what drove home that that inequality is not any kind of natural or permanent or inevitable feature of life, but something we choose to keep around, because it suits us.
* (NF) A slice of organic life edited by Sheherazade Goldsmith
I bought this in the National Library's bookstore, after my talk. It's quite heavy - lots of pictures. It's almost not a book, in the same way that a recipe book is not a book. :) But I guess it's a bit of a follow-on from the book I read last month about local food. Because what I do when I don't know about something, is read a book about it. Yup.
It's hard for me to read the word "organic" and not think of the more recent "certified" sense (of which I harbour some lingering skepticism), but this book is more about the "occurring naturally in nature" sense. The gardening related suggestions will be useful, but stuff like "Make flavoured oils and vinegars", or instructions on making your own facial scrubs, I find a bit naff. But that's probably just me.
Currently reading: Bowling alone.
total for April: 6
total for the year: 21
previously:
* March books (6)
* Jan + Feb books (9)
ps. Why doesn't LJ have a "save draft" option?!