It is not often that a fictional book can explain philosophy better than works on philosophy; it does so here. What philosophy exactly? I'm not sure..It is not often that a fictional book can explain philosophy better than works on philosophy; it does so here. What philosophy exactly? I'm not sure... the book deals with the topics of "heaviness" and "lightness" as applied to love, politics, and the general disposition of the human being. However, the character development of the novel's protagonist is so superbly melancholy, the philosophy only hits you later.
The writing is in a class by itself. Ideas, sayings, or passages are repeated (often verbatim) many times throughout the book, and instead of being superfluous, they are essential for both character development and the reader's understanding. The slightly anachronistic style events are narrated in seems odd, but works so well with the shifting perspectives of the protagonists.
I listened to the English version of this book (translated from Czech). Great, but sobering, book. ...more
You can teach people how to farm, create access to clean water, and make affordable housing, but none of that will matter if the people you are tryingYou can teach people how to farm, create access to clean water, and make affordable housing, but none of that will matter if the people you are trying to help are not safe. In the virtually lawless places that the disenfranchised poor live in, providing basic physiological needs will only treat the symptoms of the problem, doing nothing to address the root of the problem, violence. Socially conscience people will find much of interest in this graphic account of the lives of the millions who live in destitute, and how violence affects everything in their day to day activities. The authors paint a poignant picture, exploring child rape and exploitation, human trafficking and slavery, illegal property seizure and detention, and corruption and inefficiencies in the legal system. They go on to explain how these systems developed and what can be done to correct such a massive systemic problem.
This was an eye opening book; I was revolted by some of the accounts that were described, some descriptions are still seared into my brain. Poor people are treated like trash in the world, and it's messed up. I wish people could just be kind to one another, but that's the not the world we live in. While most people do not have ill will towards others, some do, and they exploit the others. Reading this has me convinced that investment into the legal system of developing countries is vital, just as or even more so than investment in food, water, shelter, and education.
If you are reading this, you're probably at the top of Maslow's pyramid with me, by virtue of the fact you are in a developed nation. I'd like to think I do not take that for granted, but I never realized how important the legal system was, and how much I took it for granted that the police did not just randomly beat me or demand a bribe every time I was pulled over. If you want to broaden your perspective on how the rest of the world lives, read this book. After doing so, if you are a charitable person, you will not need much convincing to donate to the few organizations fighting the uphill battle for legal reform in developing countries. ...more
This book shattered me. The colorless grays that were so vividly painted in it slowly seeped into my life; my thoughts became bland, and my existence.This book shattered me. The colorless grays that were so vividly painted in it slowly seeped into my life; my thoughts became bland, and my existence... pointless. For literature to have this effect on me it must be powerful, this was maybe a bit too powerful. McCarthy seems to be on intimate terms with both Death and Despair, who aren't working in tandem in this story. Indeed, Death is a reluctant protagonist in the way he compassionately takes one away from Despair. Read this if you want to feel sadness, hopelessness, and eventually emptiness. I hope, as in my case, this fiction serves as a stark contrast to your reality. It's strange how such tragedy can be told so beautifully....more
Almost all the stories are good, if not great (okay some of them are just poems or thoughts. Good ones though). Regardless, at least one of these storAlmost all the stories are good, if not great (okay some of them are just poems or thoughts. Good ones though). Regardless, at least one of these stories will resonate with you; with so many (sixty or so), I'm sure a statistical principle exist that one of them is bound to hit home for you.
As soon as it does... you'll feel that this set of short stories went from being "funny casual reading", to "a beautiful work of genius". And if you are a careful reader, you'll find the "Easter eggs" in these stories which serve to make this compilationof independent stories, just a little less independent.
Novak doesn't have a writing style, he has writing styles. And he has mastered them all....more
This book is not for the causal reader; it takes place in a world where taboo does not exist, moral absolutist should stay away. The themes this book This book is not for the causal reader; it takes place in a world where taboo does not exist, moral absolutist should stay away. The themes this book explores are so diverse, the word that comes to mind is "cacophony"; how else would the topics of artificial intelligence, sadomasochism, and Asimov's laws of robotics come together? Surprisingly well. This book is as much science fiction as it is fantasy, and the philosophical questions it brings up will probably need to be addressed at some point in our society as we keep moving forward towards a technological singularity. Elements of this story definitely pay homage to classic science fiction, dystopian, and dark fantasy novels, but it remains very original. The ideas explored are challenging, but the narration is not. Highly recommend this book to those looking to challenge themselves by reading something completely outside of their normal reading habits.
Usually I am pose, composed, and objective when reviewing a book; the demeanor that the hundreds that read my reviews expect. BUT I CANNOT DO THAT FORUsually I am pose, composed, and objective when reviewing a book; the demeanor that the hundreds that read my reviews expect. BUT I CANNOT DO THAT FOR THIS REVIEW! This book kicks so much ass, I devoured it in three days - like a rabid addict I was either consuming its content or salivated at the next opportunity to do so. This book was written for me, the dude who was socially awkward in adolescence and retreated to the unjudging solace of his mind to escape reality. Programming code, watching cartoons, reading sci-fi novels, playing DOS games, or enjoying cult media... these were all forms of escape, and this books pays tribute to them all+. If you were anything like me growing up, or enjoy playing MMORPGs I think you will relate with a lot in this book. If you were one of the cool kids growing up, there is a lot you won't understand in this book (it is extremely esoteric), BUT it is still an excellent piece of experimental fiction and does a great job merging the genres of love, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi and auto-biograpy together. READ THIS BOOK. Then write a great review for it and never say any thing negative about it. EVER!...more
This is a collection of several short stories, all of which are unrelated and very original. Be ready to be challenged if you decide to read this bookThis is a collection of several short stories, all of which are unrelated and very original. Be ready to be challenged if you decide to read this book, the author will not dumb anything down, and anything is fair game... topics range from the second law to thermodynamics, god, mathematics, non-linear notion of time vs free will, superhuman intelligence, and my favorite... Lookism. all the stories are excellent, but the story "Liking what you see: A Documentary" has really left me thinking, maybe even reevaluate some of my ideas. Highly recommend. ...more
I enjoy writing letters to people, it's a very intimate form of communication and adds a dimension of tone to writing that isn't possible electronicalI enjoy writing letters to people, it's a very intimate form of communication and adds a dimension of tone to writing that isn't possible electronically. The book follows Charlie via letters he writes to an unidentified person, chronicling his first year of high school. While you are reading these letters, you get the feeling you were meant to read them; Charlie is writing to you. It was difficult for me to put this book down, I had to forceable stop myself from reading so I could "participate" in the real world. It's an emotional book, and often painful to read. At times the book made me laugh, sometimes it brought me to tears, and other times I gasped in shock. It's written in a very easy style, and not hard to read at all. Anyone who is an avid reader or 80's/90's music junkie will find a plethora of reference to things they may have enjoyed. Charlie often talks about the books he is reading, a lot of them being book I have read myself, I only get even more engrossed in his letters when he discusses what he thinks about them (all of them are excellent books, I'm planning on reading the books he talks about that I have not read yet). Acts of abuse (physical, verbal, and sexual) are constantly in the letters; Charlie's mental health is a big part of the book as well. Drug abuse, suicide, and rejection, also have leading roles in Charlie's life. Charlie's definition of true or real love changes over the span of the letters, and the final conclusion he comes up with is beautiful and synonymous to mine. This is a wonderful book, it takes all these sad, scary, and painful things and turns out a beautiful story. Read it. ...more
Pretty simple, right? What do you mean you don't understand entropy? Of course you understand entropy, I assure you. Every time you see a sand castle crumble away in the wind, every time your car breaks down on the road, every time somebody you know dies and is gone forever... you are seeing entropy in motion. Entropy is the measure of disorder in a system... a measure of chaos. The second law of thermodynamics tells us that entropy in a closed system, be it your sand castle, car, or life... never decreases, it will only ever increase to maximum.
But here's the thing, it's not really a law by any means. Nothing in all of actual physics states that this must be, physics actually says it's perfectly possible for random sand molecules to be blown in a way where they land and form a perfect sandcastle (instead of making one crumble away). So why not? Why don't we see things like this happen? Statistics. Yes, the second law of thermodynamics is actually a statistical principle; entropy could indeed decrease in a system (any system like this would be considered a perpetual motion machine), but it's just not statistically likely.
Meaning a sand castle could coincidently form by the winds blowing dust randomly..., but it won't. It won't because the statistical likelihood of the wind and molecules to just happen to be in the right position and velocity for this sand castle to just appear is so slim, I do not have enough memory in my computer to type out all the zeros I need to put behind the odds of it happening (1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,...).
This statistical principle is so powerful and universal, we call it a law. It explains a lot of things in our universe. Before we knew about the second law of thermodynamics, it used to bother physicist that we could move in any direction in space (up, down, forward, backward) but we could only move in one direction in time. Space and time being so closely linked, why was it we could only move forward in time? It’s because entropy always increases that we move forward in time (and never back in time), in a way time is just a measure of increasing entropy. We only go from one moment to another as entropy increases.
Ahhh, I see what you are thinking. Yes, our universe is a closed system, and yes that does mean it will die, . You think it's a little sad that in the end chaos will always win? I don't think so, after all life is beautiful don't you think? Life is amazing in that it can bring a little bit of order in this chaotic world, but funny enough, without entropy there would be no life. So I don't think it's sad, it's just the natural state of affairs that we will grow old, live our lives fighting entropy, and we will die. it's really quite beautiful.
If you want to read a book that asks the questions: what if we could defeat entropy? What if we could win? What would happen? Read this book. ...more
This book resonated with me. It's written in a conversational format, the protagonist is in a one-sided conversation with you as you read. Key themes This book resonated with me. It's written in a conversational format, the protagonist is in a one-sided conversation with you as you read. Key themes are questions of innocence, existence, good/evil, and ultimately human nature. Instead of a summery, here are some of many quotes I highlighted in my e-reader from this book for one reason or another:
“Only one thing is simple in my case: I possess nothing.“
“It was not a matter, mind you, of the certainty I had of being more intelligent than everyone else. Besides, such certainty is of no consequence because so many imbeciles share it.“
“... wealth shields from immediate judgment”
”I planned to puncture the tires of invalids’ vehicles [wheelchairs], to go and shout “lousy proletarian” under the scaffoldings on which laborers were, to slap infants in the subway. “
“I announced the publication of a manifesto exposing the oppression that the oppressed inflict on decent people.“
“I tried accordingly to give up women, in a certain way, and to live in a state of chastity.“
“true debauchery is liberating because it creates no obligations.“
“ marriages, which are merely formalized debauches”
“Truth, like light, blinds. Falsehood, on the contrary, is a beautiful twilight that enhances every object.“
“I didn’t cling to what I owned. To tell the truth, I was a little ashamed to own anything.“
‘But I’m not being crazy; I’m well aware that slavery is not immediately realizable. It will be one of the blessings of the future”
If you like his book "The Stranger", I think you'll like this. If you are super religious, you might not care for this book.
I don't call myself a "vegetarian", I prefer to just say that I don't eat meat. Originally, I subscribed to this diet because of health reasons, but aI don't call myself a "vegetarian", I prefer to just say that I don't eat meat. Originally, I subscribed to this diet because of health reasons, but as I did more and more research my position evolved to also include environmental reasons to abstain. Reading this book, I'd have to say I now have economical, social, and even more health reasons to continue this diet. This book is not a proponent of the meat-free life style. The author tries not to advocate for any particular position (but you can tell what he thinks). What this book is really about is how the food that ends up at your table got there, and the author explore almost all the ways it could get there (Industrial, Organic, Hunting...)
If you want a better understanding of what "Organic" means, or how animals are treated/grown, or how big a player corn is in almost everything we consume, read this book. Keep an open mind, and don't take everything it says at face value, research yourself. Recommend for everybody.
So having taken a course in basic quantum mechanics and general relativity, and having some knowledge of string theory... I realized i didn't understaSo having taken a course in basic quantum mechanics and general relativity, and having some knowledge of string theory... I realized i didn't understand any of it outside of answering questions on an exam. This book builds up QM, GR, and SR from the ground. I relearned a lot, and made connections between subjects I didn't know existed. S^2= (c*t)^2-x^2 is an equation I really understand now, instead of just having the gist of; And that's not even what the book is about, just something that is needed in the author's building block approach to show a link between QM and GR. The author takes pains in keeping the subject simple, instead of mystifying it with esoteric terms. Read if you want a basic understanding of modern physics, or just want to understand a little better the models we use to understand our world. ...more
I won't give you a real summery, instead here is a personal analogy that I think relates to this book.
I grew up in a Muslim household, and growing upI won't give you a real summery, instead here is a personal analogy that I think relates to this book.
I grew up in a Muslim household, and growing up I was certain Islam was the one true religion and that everybody should be Muslim. All other systems were wrong.
Then I started questioning my religion and others, I studied and asked critical questions. I concluded that no one religion was right. They all had some good and bad in them, and not all are as well suited for some people as others. I should have concluded one more thing... that I should hold no idea as superior to another due to chance of birth. I never realized the way that I felt about capitalism was similar to how I felt about religion.
I grew up in a "capitalist" country, and growing up I was certain capitalism/free market was the one superior economic model and that everybody should be capitalist. All other systems were wrong.
After reading this book (and others), I'm starting to question the beliefs spoon fed to me as I grew up. The more critical questions I ask, the more the answers point to a conclusion that undermines my previous economic beliefs.
Recommended for readers with background or interest in politics, economics, the military industrial complex, Israel, Palestine, South American politics, corporatism, and Iraq war....more
Most would not think being inside the mind of a dog would be an entertaining or worthwhile experience, but Enzo is not like most dogs, Enzo is self awMost would not think being inside the mind of a dog would be an entertaining or worthwhile experience, but Enzo is not like most dogs, Enzo is self aware. Throughout the book, Enzo narrates his life, and the life of his master Denny, from their first meeting to the present. What follows is an incredible and unexpected story, filled with hilarious moments and heartbreak. Racing fans will especially enjoy the book as many anecdotes about race car drivers are interlaced into the story of Enzo and his master's troubles, and homage is paid to all the formula one racing greats, especially Ayrton Senna. Many driving techniques are beautifully explained for track application, followed by generalizations of these techniques being applied to Enzo and his master's various problems in life. Highly recommend this book for everybody, this is fiction at it's best; very difficult book to stop reading/listening to (the audiobook is very well performed). ...more
This is a prodigious book; it takes a lot to get through it. Additionally, It's like reading many different stories at the same time, and so the satisThis is a prodigious book; it takes a lot to get through it. Additionally, It's like reading many different stories at the same time, and so the satisfaction of it's conclusion is multiplied. It was published in a serial manner originally, with the people of it's time waiting in anticipation of each installment. The book laboriously goes through minute details of of things such as the 19th century french aristocracy, the reign and fall of Napoleon, the life of solitude in an European prison, and other obscure things. Recommended to only the most ardent readers to take this book on; they will not likely find anything novel in it's pages, as ardent readers likely have already discovered these elsewhere. But they will appreciate how the author handles the major themes of love, revenge, forgiveness, and hope.
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