Books: July Update
Here is the most recent batch of books I have read, with a few reviews of notable titles below. Also here is another song with lyrics translated into Jaxanke:
Jaxanke song lyrics #3:
Nta fee xa baara ke
Nta fee xa konton ke
Mba fee xa nyinan doron
wotoo, nse saaba
Hint: The song's original lyrics are in French
Hint #2: I know very few French songs
Now on to the books:
John Grisham books (Bleachers and The Partner):
Quick reads that were very engaging. These books are probably not going to change my life, but they (along with the two Grisham books I read earlier in my service) are fun and a great break from more serious or difficult books. I'll be reading a few more during the remainder of my service.
The Devil in the White City:
A historical account of the 1983 World's Fair in Chicago. The story focuses on two aspects of the fair: the architects designing the groundbreaking buildings, and a serial killer who ran his operation just a few miles from the fair grounds. I wish I had read this before traveling to Chicago twice in 2017 so that I had some history from long ago to discuss with the local Fenberts. Next time I visit Chicago I will be making a visit to Jackson Park to see the old fairgrounds.
Shoe Dog:
Phil Knight's memoir about the creation of Nike. Knight is a very engaging writer; the crises he and his small team faces along the way as they continually expand their enterprise are nail-biting, even though I knew the ending. Knight's entrepreneurial experiment took place before the current era of prolific funding for entrepreneurs and small businesses, so he also had to face the challenge of continually getting large business loans from very traditional, conservative banks. This book made me love the integrity of Nike and what their founders stood for. Knight and his team, when faced with ethical dilemmas, would opt for truth and transparency. While this a few times hurt them in the moment, it always helped them in the long run. A highly recommended read.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
A philosophical discussion of Science, Art, and their union in Quality framed in the context of a motorcycle trip across many states that the author Robert Pirsig took with his son. This was my first foray into reading philosophy, so some of the intangible concepts were a bit difficult to grasp when first introduced. Pirsig does a great job of not only explaining the philosophical discussion in an understandable way but also making sure the reader understands how these concepts relate to real life. Recommended if you want an engaging intro to philosophy.
Eat & Run:
Ultrarunner Scott Jurek's account of his upbringing and how he became a record-setting long-distance runner. His story was amazing and his accounts of the ultramarathons he ran were filled with dramatics that I always thought were reserved for sports like baseball, football, and soccer. (Similar to Boys in the Boat, Jurek's descriptions of races enlightened me to the drama of non-ball sports). At the end of each chapter Jurek gives a running tip and a vegan recipe. Reading this in my village, all of the vegan food sounded really good. I'll be trying them out when I finish my service and return to the US. Eat & Run was the final straw in convincing me to start running more consistently at my site. A highly recommended read even if you are not a runner. A required read if you are a runner.
Born a Crime:
Trevor Noah's account of various episodes from his childhood in South Africa just after the end of Apartheid. Some funny, some sad, but all based around themes of race relations in South Africa. A quick read (and a long hold list at the Seattle Public Library) and recommended, especially for fans of The Daily Show.
The Control of Nature:
John McPhee beautifully describes three battles man has waged against nature and their varying degrees of success. The first describes the US Army Corps of Engineers battling the Atchafalaya River as it attempts to divert the current course of the Mississippi and destroy many towns in its path, most notably New Orleans. The second discusses a monumental eruption of lava in Iceland that threatens to destroy the fishing town of Heimaey. The third details the ongoing battle between Los Angeles and the massive debris slides from the adjacent San Gabriel Mountains. In all three cases it is clear that nature is vastly more powerful than man, but to what extent do man's actions to control nature have any effect? Is man being futile and hubristic or is he making necessary, valiant attempts to save towns and cities in imminent danger? Pick up the book to find out more.
Jaxanke song lyrics #3:
Nta fee xa baara ke
Nta fee xa konton ke
Mba fee xa nyinan doron
wotoo, nse saaba
Hint: The song's original lyrics are in French
Hint #2: I know very few French songs
Now on to the books:
John Grisham books (Bleachers and The Partner):
Quick reads that were very engaging. These books are probably not going to change my life, but they (along with the two Grisham books I read earlier in my service) are fun and a great break from more serious or difficult books. I'll be reading a few more during the remainder of my service.
The Devil in the White City:
A historical account of the 1983 World's Fair in Chicago. The story focuses on two aspects of the fair: the architects designing the groundbreaking buildings, and a serial killer who ran his operation just a few miles from the fair grounds. I wish I had read this before traveling to Chicago twice in 2017 so that I had some history from long ago to discuss with the local Fenberts. Next time I visit Chicago I will be making a visit to Jackson Park to see the old fairgrounds.
Shoe Dog:
Phil Knight's memoir about the creation of Nike. Knight is a very engaging writer; the crises he and his small team faces along the way as they continually expand their enterprise are nail-biting, even though I knew the ending. Knight's entrepreneurial experiment took place before the current era of prolific funding for entrepreneurs and small businesses, so he also had to face the challenge of continually getting large business loans from very traditional, conservative banks. This book made me love the integrity of Nike and what their founders stood for. Knight and his team, when faced with ethical dilemmas, would opt for truth and transparency. While this a few times hurt them in the moment, it always helped them in the long run. A highly recommended read.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
A philosophical discussion of Science, Art, and their union in Quality framed in the context of a motorcycle trip across many states that the author Robert Pirsig took with his son. This was my first foray into reading philosophy, so some of the intangible concepts were a bit difficult to grasp when first introduced. Pirsig does a great job of not only explaining the philosophical discussion in an understandable way but also making sure the reader understands how these concepts relate to real life. Recommended if you want an engaging intro to philosophy.
Eat & Run:
Ultrarunner Scott Jurek's account of his upbringing and how he became a record-setting long-distance runner. His story was amazing and his accounts of the ultramarathons he ran were filled with dramatics that I always thought were reserved for sports like baseball, football, and soccer. (Similar to Boys in the Boat, Jurek's descriptions of races enlightened me to the drama of non-ball sports). At the end of each chapter Jurek gives a running tip and a vegan recipe. Reading this in my village, all of the vegan food sounded really good. I'll be trying them out when I finish my service and return to the US. Eat & Run was the final straw in convincing me to start running more consistently at my site. A highly recommended read even if you are not a runner. A required read if you are a runner.
Born a Crime:
Trevor Noah's account of various episodes from his childhood in South Africa just after the end of Apartheid. Some funny, some sad, but all based around themes of race relations in South Africa. A quick read (and a long hold list at the Seattle Public Library) and recommended, especially for fans of The Daily Show.
The Control of Nature:
John McPhee beautifully describes three battles man has waged against nature and their varying degrees of success. The first describes the US Army Corps of Engineers battling the Atchafalaya River as it attempts to divert the current course of the Mississippi and destroy many towns in its path, most notably New Orleans. The second discusses a monumental eruption of lava in Iceland that threatens to destroy the fishing town of Heimaey. The third details the ongoing battle between Los Angeles and the massive debris slides from the adjacent San Gabriel Mountains. In all three cases it is clear that nature is vastly more powerful than man, but to what extent do man's actions to control nature have any effect? Is man being futile and hubristic or is he making necessary, valiant attempts to save towns and cities in imminent danger? Pick up the book to find out more.
Tavish, your latest reading list and compact book reviews show, once again, that you are a good writer who not only appreciates good writing but has a deft way of getting to the heart and import of a book. In my opinion, after your stint in the Peace Corps, you should look for employment that would encourage and reward your skills as a writer. You may not appreciate those skills fully, but I can tell you from many years of reading undergrad and grad student papers that your writing is upper-echelon in terms of clarity, precision, and persuasiveness. Plus it has personality.
ReplyDeleteNice work!
Uncle Bill