WHAT I’VE BEEN READING…

“The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich”

Philip K. Dick

This book is set in a dystopian future on an environmentally ruined Earth and bleak and sterile planetary colonies. Like “The Man in the High Castle”, this book presents a disturbingly plastic universe where psycho-active drugs are used to bend and break the rules of time and space. While I found this book very interesting, the universe was more broadly drawn and lacked the subtle nuances of the imagery presented in “The Man in the High Castle” . 8/10

“101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die”

Ian Buxton

As the title says, this book suggests 101 whiskies to try before you die. The price-range runs from under £20 to as much as £500 pounds, though the vast majority of bottles are priced under £70. If you are new to whisky, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. From Irish Potsill through Scottish Single Malts to Japanese Blends, this book has a little of everything in every price-range and will rarely steer you wrong.  10/10

“Good, Better, Best: A No-Nonsense Guide to Popular Wines”

Carolyn Evans Hammond

This book offers an excellent guide to budget wines that can be easily bought in the supermarket. For a wine beginner such as myself, this was a perfect introduction to popular grape varieties, regions and brands. Also, as the wine selection in China is limited, the focus of this book on popular wines was perfect for me. Be aware though that the book focuses primarily on new world wines.  9/10

“Use of Weapons”

Ian M. Banks

The third Culture novel follows the same basic structure as the first two books, exploring the Culture universe through the lens of an outsider, a mercenary working for their military arm. Along with the grand scenery common to Banks’ work “Use of Weapons” has a few interesting things to say about the effect that war has on those who fight it. This is my favorite Culture book so far. 8/10

“The Player of Games”

Ian M. Banks

The second Culture novel follows a similar pattern to “Consider Phlebas”, with the central character caught in a looming confrontation between stellar empires. In this case, the hero is a professional game player, who is drawn into a complex and high stakes game that will determine the course of both empires. I preferred “Player of Games” to “Consider Phlebas” as the character development was richer and the use of a game as metaphor for warfare was fairly novel. I look forward to reading another Culture novel. 7/10

“Consider Phlebas”

Ian M. Banks

This is the first novel in the ‘Culture’ series and follows a mercenary caught up in a critical battle between two immense stellar powers. The background scenery and character descriptions are grand and rich, but I prefer science fiction that offers a deeper exploration of the human condition and contemporary society as provided by authors like Wells, Dick or Vonnegut. 6/10

“A Brief Guide to Judaism: Theology, History and Practice”

Naftali Brawer

This book is a guide to the principles, practice and history of Judaism. The presentation of Judaism is fairly uncontroversial and uncritical, but the real strength of this book is that it offers a genuinely Jewish perspective while not glossing over embarrassing episodes such as that of Sabbatai Zevi, who was widely accepted as the messiah before he converted to Islam.  In terms of the religion itself, I found nothing here to assail my atheistic beliefs. 7/10

“The Man in the High Castle”

Philip K. Dick

The Man in the High Castle is set in an alternative version of America, where WWII was won by the Axis powers, who have divided America between themselves. The diverse characters in the book are united by “The Grasshopper Lies Heavy”, a fictional book describing a world where the Axis powers lost the war, which turns out inexplicably to be true. Woven throughout the book is a fascinating exploration of the human condition and clashing cultures. This is the first book I have read by Philip K. Dick book and it recalls the best of Kurt Vonnegut; glorifying individuality and conscience while deploring grand visions and archetypal group identities, though without Vonnegut’s darkly humorous streak. 9/10

“Moby Dick”

Herman Melville

Moby Dick is certainly distinctive, with rich colorful descriptions of whaling and pervasive references to the classics. The pacing of the book is strange though; the first half provides a colorful account of life onboard a New England whaling ship and it is not until the latter half of the book that any whaling takes place. To me, the book seemed to clearly be a result of Melville’s obsession with whales and whaling, and I found this more interesting than Ahab’s obsession with Moby Dick. 8/10

“Cat’s Cradle”

Kurt Vonnegut

Cat’s Cradle is regarded as one of Vonnegut’s masterpieces. The story follows a journalist who uncovers the existence of a world-ending substance known as “Ice-9”, which is capable of forever freezing all water on Earth. The story focuses upon an imaginary dictatorship which acquires and accidentally uses Ice-9. What follows is an investigation of the frailty of the human condition during an apocalypse. I would place Cat’s Cradle amongst my favorite Vonnegut books such as Mother Night and Slaughterhouse Five. 8/10

“Krsna: Supreme Personality of the Godhead”

Swami Prabhupada

 This is a short book on Krishna, presented in graphic novel format. The Krishna-Bhakti sect, of which the Hare Krishna movement is a part, is a monotheistic restriction of earlier forms of Hinduism. The religious stories in this text are significantly more fantastical than the Jewish, Christian or Muslim stories, with Krishna cloning himself 1600 times, slaying evil kings and even battling a flying, feces-throwing demon. There is also a curious lack of delineation between the spiritual realm and normal existence with the various supernatural entities living amongst the common people, or on a nearby planet. Along with some very interesting stories, this book also had wonderful illustrations. I would highly recommend it if you are looking for some light religious reading. 9/10

“Blink”

Malcolm Gladwell

This will probably be the last Malcolm Gladwell book that I read. Even more than ‘Outliers’, Blink is a mix of obvious observations (e.g. your thoughts are influenced by hidden subconscious elements) and wild, unproven assertions (e.g. Chinese people are good at math because of rice farming). It is hard to reconcile the contents of this book with the glowing dust jacket recommendations. 5/10

“Pygmy”

Chuck Palahniuk

Pygmy is the story of a young orphan, raised in an unnamed communist country, who is dispatched to live with a Midwestern American family, and carry out a deadly terrorist attack: Operating Havoc. The book is written in the first person in a broken foreign English and while the presentation is interesting, the story is very straight-forward, with many echoes of ‘Fight Club’. An interesting read, but not Palahniuk’s best. 7/10

“Outliers”

Malcolm Gladwell

In ‘Outliers’ Gladwell attempts to explain why some people achieve high levels of success. The central theme of Outliers is an attack on the idea of the self-made man. Gladwell argues that success does not occur due to innate ability and that our environment plays a key role. While I found the central theme of the book compelling, I also found it obvious. In addition, Gladwell’s empirical sources are often a little sketchy. 7/10

“Diary”

Chuck Palahniuk

Diary is a pretty good slice of dark comedy from Chuck Palahniuk. The book is written as a ‘coma diary’ kept by a housewife on ‘Waytansea Island’. As the book progresses, it turns out that the author of the diary has a dark destiny to fulfill. Perhaps I was not in the right mood for this book, but I found it somewhat more forced than the previous Palahniuk books that I have read. 6/10

“Civil Disobedience and Other Essays”

Henry David Thoreau

This collection of Thoreau’s essays included:  ‘On the Duty of Civil Disobedience’, ‘Life without Principle’, ‘Slavery in Massachusetts’, ‘A Plea for Captain John Brown’ and ‘Walking’. While I like Thoreau’s perspective on issues such as slavery, civil disobedience and conservation, I couldn’t help but feel that Thoreau enjoyed a privileged position that allowed him to come to these positions more easily than his contemporaries. Who might become a conservationist if they could walk for four hours every day? Who else might not pay their taxes on principle if they would spend only a single night in jail? So while I like Thoreau, I do not consider him a heroic character. 7/10

“Candide”

Voltaire

In the allegorical story of Candide, Voltaire makes an all-out attack on the concept of Liebnizian optimism, which argues that this world is the best of all possible worlds and thus everything that happens is for the best, but Voltaire does not limit his assault to the philosophers, also arguing that governments and theologians have equally little to offer the common man, something I agree with wholeheartedly. When it comes to any ideology, as the book says: “All that is very well, but let us tend the garden”, perhaps I should read more enlightenment philosophy. 9/10

“The Dead Man in the Bunker”

Martin Pollack

In this book, Pollack dispassionately analyses the evolution of German nationalism in Austria from the late 19^th century to the end of the 2^nd World War. What makes this book special is that the author unflinchingly faces his families own history as ardent Nazis. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like insight into how normal people can, through a number of misdirected steps, end up committing evil acts. For me, the book reaffirmed an existing aversion to any kind of nationalism, or fundamentalist political beliefs. 10/10

“Only in America”

Matt Fry

In ‘Only in America’, Matt Fry attempts to provide insight into the American Experience from the perspective of a long-term visitor. Having lived in America for a short time, I appreciated the attempt by the author to move beyond the common stereo-types of that exist in Europe, and overall, Fry’s account is entertaining and well written. For me, where he fails is in separating himself from the ‘inside-the-beltway’ bubble, which ironically is something he talks specifically about. In particular I found the depiction of think tank cretins as rogue geniuses particularly irksome. 6/10

“Armageddon in Retrospect”

Kurt Vonnegut

This posthumously published collection of essays and short stories was released on the first anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut’s death. Many of the short-stories focus on the World War Two and are clearly inspired by Vonnegut’s time as a prisoner of war in Dresden, which is fitting. Overall, this is a really good book. 8/10

“The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music”

Friedrich Nietzsche

The ‘birth of tragedy’ examines the role of Apollonian (logical) and Dionysian (emotional) influences in Greek tragedy. After a long break, I was looking forward to reading some philosophy again, but I never really got into ‘The Birth of Tragedy’ because Nietzsche does not attempt to justify his characterization of Greek theater in much depth. By the end of the book, I was left wondering whether people are persuaded to agree with Nietzsche based only on his beautiful writing style. 6/10

“The Jefferson Bible”

Thomas Jefferson

In this version of the New Testament, Thomas Jefferson attempts to remove all miraculous and supernatural elements of the Christian Bible, reducing it to a work of philosophy, which Jefferson found more compatible with his Deistic beliefs. While I found this to be an interesting experiment, unlike Jefferson, I do not find the resulting philosophy to be especially great or enlightening. Nevertheless, the way in which Jefferson was able to integrate aspects of Christianity into his personal philosophy provides a lesson in how free thinkers can learn from religious texts. 7/10

“A Cook’s Tour”

Anthony Bourdain

A Cook’s tour is a frank and colorful travel book in which Bourdain explores the world through its various local cuisines. Like any good travel book, A Cook’s Tour leaves one with the urge to visit the countries covered and, in this case, to eat ones around said countries. The only down-side is that Bourdain’s commentary can be a little narcissistic and self-obsessed, but I suppose that is true of all bon vivants. 8/10

“Palm Sunday”

Kurt Vonnegut

In Kurt Vonnegut’s own words, this book is an ‘Autobiographical Collage’ of the author’s letters, speeches and essays that is tied together with a pleasant and off-beat narrative. If like me you are a Vonnegut fan and want to know more about what drives his writing, Palm Sunday is very entertaining. However, I suspect this may be a little dry for those who are not already Vonnegut fans. 8/10

“Welcome to the Monkey House”

Kurt Vonnegut

This is a collection of Kurt Vonnegut’s short stories, primarily from his early career and before his breakthrough with Slaughterhouse Five. This is probably the weakest Vonnegut book that I have read, but is enjoyable nonetheless. 6/10

“The Selfish Genius: How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin's Legacy”

Fern Elsdon-Baker

This book was a little strange. The cover advertised the book as anti-Dawkins, but it really wasn’t that at All. Elsdon’s main points were two-fold: firstly that there remain some things that neo-Darwinism does not explain neatly and secondly that Dawkins’ aggressive pursuit of truth may be counter productive for some audiences. On the first point, I found Elsdon’s arguments unconvincing and occasionally, though I am a lay man, she seemed confused about the science. The second point I have no time for - I think there is no room for relativism in science. 4/10

“Three Cups of Tea”

Greg Mortinson and

David Relin

Three Cups of Tea is an amazing true story that begins with Greg Mortinson’s failed attempt to conquer K2. After recuperating in a Balti village in tribal Pakistan, Mortinson promised to return and build a school for the impoverished villagers that nursed him back to health. Despite a complete lack of experience and financial resources, Mortinson did this and much more, returning to tribal Pakistan again and again to build tens of schools for his charity the Central Asia Institute. This is the kind of story that makes one want to do more charity work in their own lives, which I’m sure is one of the reasons for writing this book. 9/10

“Gimme Something Better”

Jack Boulware and

Silke Tudor

Gimme Something Better is an oral history of bay area punk, from 70s proto-punk through the Dead Kennedys andNOFX to million-selling bands like Green Day. The oral history format is well chosen, with conflicting accounts and opinions presented side-by-side, and it all adds to the book. If like me, you’re a California p unk fan, then this is an essential book. I wish it also covered the LA scene and bands like Bad Religion and the Vandals. 8/10

“New Rules”

Bill Maher

This is a compendium presented in A-Z fashion of the best of Bill Maher’s ‘New Rules’ segments from his show ‘Real Time’ on HBO. While Bill’s New Rules are funny in part, it is a fairly lazy reproduction of material from the show. 5/10

“A History of God”

Karen Armstrong

Karen Armstrong is a former Catholic nun and religious scholar. ‘A History of God’ provides a detailed account of the emergence and evolution of monotheistic religions, from Judaism, through Christianity, Islam and Sikhism and the many and various sects thereof. Armstrong truly excels in drawing out the common threads that unite religions and exploring the cyclical swings between ‘rationalist’ and ‘mystic’ religious experiences. As a committed atheist I found nothing to inspire belief in the history of the religions. If anything, the torturous attempts of successive generations to reconcile the irreconcilable, reaffirms my atheism. 10/10

“Atlas Shrugged”

Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand is a pillar of modern free-market conservatism and Atlas Shrugged is considered her magnum opus. Rand uses this novel as a vehicle to explore her ‘objectivist’ philosophy. Unfortunately, I think that the whole is smaller than the sum of its parts. The supporting story does not provide a rigorous analysis of objectivism and conversely, philosophical argument makes the dialogue in Atlas Shrugged positively painful. The final result is mediocrity. In terms of philosophy, I like the objectivist focus on reason, disdain for mysticism and view that the fulfillment of one’s potential is a moral imperative. Where I part ways with the objectivists, is that I see no reason that these principles cannot be respected in a society with a strong but constitutional government that provides a safety net for those citizens who cannot take care of themselves. When practiced, either extreme of collectivism or individualism has resulted in disaster. 6/10

“Arguing with Idiots”

Glenn Beck

‘Arguing with Idiots’ is red meat for Glenn Beck’s television and radio audience. In large part the book promotes a corporatist agenda. Beck attempts to provide cover for this with straw man ‘common sense’ arguments and selective claims to libertarianism. The book is in turns ignorant, arrogant, deceitful and hilarious, just like Beck’s television show. I am coming to the conclusion that Beck is the P.T. Barnum of television pundits – a great showman who cares nothing for the contents of his arguments. 4/10

“The Greatest Show

on Earth”

Richard Dawkins

Unlike previous books by Richard Dawkins, ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ is a direct repost to those who advocate creationism and intelligent design. While this book adds to Dawkin’s previous popular science books on evolution, I enjoyed it less due to the time spent defending against ideas which are, at best, laughable. 8/10

“Lord of the Flies”

William Golding

I think that Lord of the Flies is the first Nobel Prize winning book that I’ve read, and I enjoyed it in much the same way that I enjoy the rich atmosphere and well drawn characters of a Ray Bradbury novel, however, like a Bradbury novel, I found Lord of the Flies very straight-forward. The meaning is right there on the surface, and for some reason it is somehow less satisfying. That being said, the book has great pace and a wonderful and nail-biting finish. 8/10

“Angler: The Shadow Vice-Presidency of Dick Cheney”

Barton Gellman

Barton Gellman’s well researched book on Dick Cheney is a lesson in how to write an entertaining and informative biography. Gellman treats his subject with a lot of respect, but paints the picture of a man who has catastrophically lost his way. Indisputably intelligent, hard-working and principled, Cheney has a single-minded obsession with defending the power of the executive branch and a total disregard for politics or public opinion. Unfortunately, the executive team which Cheney freed to act without oversight were incompetent (Bush, Gonzales, Rumsfeld and Brown), aggressive (Addington, Yoo and Bolton), weak (Ashcroft, Rice) and dangerously idealistic (Wolfowitz, Pearle). 10/10

“The Invisible Man”

H.G. Wells

Each of H.G. Well’s science fiction books examines a different element of the human condition. In the Invisible Man, Wells tells the story of a scientist turned invisible and thus torn out of society by his own invention. As the story progresses Wells deftly reveals that anonymity did not turn the invisible man evil, it merely freed him to act according to his true nature. 9/10

“The Qur’an, a Biography”

Bruce Lawrence

This is a pretty good overview of the Qur’an, the historical context in which it emerged, the prophet Mohammad and various historical interpretations of the text. I found the Sufi and Whirling Dervish interpretations to be most compatible with my own philosophy, because of the wonder that Sufi’s find in the natural world. It was also very interesting to see how successful Muslim thinkers have been at integrating their faith with Science. 7/10

“The Selfish Gene”

Richard Dawkins

The selfish gene provides an excellent overview of Neo-Darwinian theory, and argues convincingly for individual, ‘selfish’ genes as the unit of biological natural selection (as opposed to organism selection or group selection). Seeing the world through this prism, it becomes clear that ‘individual’ organisms are in reality merely survival vehicles, designed to protect and propagate the immortal genes that they contain. In the selfish gene Dawkins also introduced the idea of ‘memes’: self replicating ideas/ideals/philosophies, which just like genes, compete against each other in the substrate of human culture. I believe that understanding the way in which memes and genes influence the universe is critical to any understanding of the universe. 10/10

“The Sirens of Titan”

Kurt Vonnegut

I found the Sirens of Titan to be a devastating book. The reader follows the trials of Malachi Constant and Beatrice Rumfoord, flawed characters that are variously manipulated, kidnapped, enslaved and forced to wage war. What makes the Sirens of Titan so devastating though is that throughout, Vonnegut hints that the trials of Malachi and Beatrice must have some broader meaning, though by the end of the book, it becomes painfully clear that there is no meaning to their journey, which is nothing more than a series of accidents. Like Vonnegut’s other work, the Sirens of Titan argues that the only true meaning one can realistically hope for in life is the love of another human being. 10/10

“Fahrenheit 451”

Ray Bradbury

This classic Ray Bradbury novel is a riot of colorful imagery and feeling, which chronicles one man’s growing dissatisfaction with a future dystopia that forbids intellectualism and especially books, which are considered to be the source of all unhappiness and dissatisfaction. As the novel progresses it becomes clear that the shallowness of the dystopian society has bred a formless and diffuse rage that leads to violence and drug abuse. It is hard not to see the parallels with contemporary Anglo/American culture.  9/10

“Fiasco”

Thomas E. Ricks

Thomas Rick’s ‘Fiasco’ is widely considered the most encyclopedic documentation of the failures of the last Gulf war, and it lives up to this reputation. However, now that the argument has essentially been won, it all feels a little dry. I should probably have read this a couple of years ago.  8/10

“Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot”

Al Franken

Al Franken’s first political book is a collection of essays and anecdotes written during Bill Clinton’s presidency and targeting some of the worst excesses of the American right. This is probably the funniest of Franken’s political books. Now Al is Minnesota’s senator he can put these political ideas into action.  9/10

“These Things I Know”

Al Franken

Al Franken’s fake self help book is short, but very funny – gently poking fun at our self improvement culture with unhelpful ‘advice’. 7/10

“Deciding the Next Decider”

Calvin Trillin

Calvin’s latest set of short poems on U.S. politics is just as good as ‘Obliviously On He Sails’ and ‘A Heckuva Job’. Most of the poems are short, funny and occasionally deep. Best of all, I managed to get a signed copy from The Strand. 7/10

“Freakonomics”

Steven Levitt and

Stephen J. Dubner

Freakonomics is a meandering application of economic tools to issues such as cheating, drug dealing, the Ku Klux Klan and the effects of abortion on crime. Most of the work presented is Levitt’s, though work by other academics is included. Each chapter follows the basic pattern of applying data-mining and economic analytics to unusual problems. The result is very readable and a lot of fun, if not always 100% convincing. 7/10

“Leviathan”

Thomas Hobbes

Hobbes is often considered the father of conservative thought. His philosophy hinges on the idea that humans are primarily self interested and that this leads naturally to war. To avoid this, Hobbes suggests that individuals should delegate their moral and ethical reasoning to a benign monarch or dictator whose rule over the commonwealth, or ‘leviathan’ ensures peace. What Hobbes overlooks is that centralized powers are equally likely to go to war, and on an even larger scale. Hobbes views on religion are similarly contradictory. He identifies the fallibility of scripture and idiocy of superstition while referring to English Christianity as the ‘one true religion’. While I found Leviathan interesting, I could not disagree more with its message. 7/10

“The Catcher in the Rye”

J.D. Salinger

A fantastic coming-of-age novel (I wish I’d read it as a teenager) in which the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, tells the story of his expulsion from school and his subsequent week spent hiding from his parents in New York. Along the way, the reader learns more about Holden’s difficult transition to adult-hood. Along with reminding me of my own teenage years, I can still associate with Holden’s feelings of being cut adrift from the world, especially when I travel a lot. 9/10

“FUBAR: America’s Right Wing Nightmare”

Sam Seder and

Stephen Sherrill

This book was a guilty pleasure! FUBAR digs into the worst of the American right, exposing just how corrupt and hypocritical the leaders of this group are (my favorite chapter was the one on gay-hating gay republicans). FUBAR isn’t reasonable, it isn’t going to convince anyone who didn’t already agree with it, but it IS hilarious. 8/10

“The Age of Turbulence”

Alan Greenspan

I read this book to gain a little insight into the former Federal Reserve Chairman. Greenspan is lauded in some circles as a genius, who by saved the US economy following the downturn of the early 00’s. I disagree completely. Greenspan simply built a debt bubble by slashing the base rate (compare growth of the US economy to borrowing in his tenure). Evaluated as a book, Age of Turbulence is almost unreadable – Greenspan makes even simple issues complex. Evaluated as an economic work, I think the book is equally poor - in the light of the current credit crunch and looming recessions, Greenspan’s glorification of CDOs and Hedge Funds together with dismissal of worries over US asset-backed debt seem laughable. 5/10

“Naked Pictures of Famous People”

Jon Stewart

This is definitely not ‘America the Book’, where Stewart’s acerbic wit was turned on an interesting exploration of American democracy. ‘Naked Pictures of Famous People’ is just the funny, minus the politics, minus the insight. It’s still good. 7/10

“Obliviously on he Sails”

Calvin Trillin

This is Trillin’s first book of poems about the Bush administration (I had my copy of his second book signed in NYC a few years back). The poems are mostly short, often absurd, sometimes touching… and remarkably able to make the unbearable Bush administration bearable. 8/10

“The Shock Doctrine”

Naomi Klein

The Shock Doctrine examines the relationship between free market fundamentalism and political totalitarianism over the last 40 years. I thought the book began weakly, equating the ‘creative destruction’ exploited by neo-liberal economists to the use of physical shock therapy, which didn’t quite fly for me.  What Klein does brilliantly though is debunk the mythos that free markets lead to free democracies. Moreover Klein shows that radical neo-liberal reforms have, as often as not, required the iron grip of a military junta to enforce. 8/10

“The Tailor of Panama”

John Le Carré

I enjoyed ‘The Tailor of Panama’ on two levels. At the first level, it provides a touching study in human weakness. At the second level, it’s a fascinating story of a spy agency corrupted by incompetence, self-interest and political lobbying. The story was also prescient. The story of Panama’s ‘tailor’ is eerily similar to that of ‘curve ball’, an Iraqi taxi driver who concocted exotic and complex lies for the CIA that were used in large part to justify the Iraq war. 10/10

“Meditations”

Marcus Aurelius

‘Meditations’ is a collection of observations, thoughts and quotes from Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, mostly written during his time on the German front. Marcus was a philosopher of the stoic school and this was my first exposure to stoic philosophy. I like the stoic’s disdain for ‘free will’ and ambivalence to the idea of deities. However, the stoic’s acceptance of one’s position in the world as the natural way of things is anathema to me. 8/10

“The Prince and

the Pauper”

Mark Twain

The Prince and the Pauper is a commentary on life in 1500s England. In a fluke accident, a beggar switches places with the Prince of Wales, who he bears an uncanny resemblance to. Through Each child’s exploration of the alien environment into which they are thrust, Twain exposes the brutality of life for the poor along with the ridiculous excess of the monarchy. 9/10

“The Adventures of

Tom Sawyer”

Mark Twain

Written before the adventures of Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer contains less subtext and commentary on southern society, but does contain a great tale of childhood adventure and with less dialect. 8/10

“Bagombo Snuff Box”

Kurt Vonnegut

This is a collection of short stories, many of which are pure genius. All of the stories comment upon society, but what I found interesting in Bagombo Snuff Box was the breadth of Vonnegut’s work, from overtly sci-fi tales to more serious commentary on issues like war in “The Cruise of the Jolly Roger”. 8/10

“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”

Mark Twain

I finished this book as my train crossed the Mississippi, arriving into New Orleans , which is perhaps the perfect place. Once I got over Twain’s use of dialect, I enjoyed Huck Finn, from the freedom of the adventure, to the commentary on racism and superstition in the south, where ‘common sense’ contrasts sharply with the good instincts of ‘uneducated’ Huck Finn. 10/10

“Slaughterhouse Five”

Kurt Vonnegut

This is a touching and honest book which explores the role of unprepared, inexperienced youths in the second world war along with the incredible brutality and devastation that the allied powers unleashed upon their enemies, particularly through the fire-bombing of Dresden. Vonnegut uses thinly veiled sci-fi twists and humor to make his presentation of the horror bearable, and even more human. No writer I have read, except perhaps Howard Zinn has spoken so powerfully against war itself. Sadly, this generation of writers will not be with us much longer. 10/10

“The World is Flat”

Thomas L. Friedman

By the ‘flattening of the world’ Friedman is referring to increasing global integration and trade. The book does a fair job of evangelizing globalization, and does give a nod towards the short and medium-term disruptive effects that it may lead to. Unfortunately, Friedman’s analysis is shallow, often relying on anecdotal evidence and encounters. In some areas , such as his rhapsodizing about eBay member feedback, the book becomes absurdly utopian. 6/10

“The Liberal Economy”

Adair Turner

Turner advocates pretty standard neo-liberal economic policies in this book – i.e. trade liberalization and specialization abroad and European-style social policies at home. The material is similar in tone to writers such as Tom Freidman or Tim Harford. Unfortunately, Turner is less mindful of the potential problems that globalization may cause, and the book is much more difficult to read. 4/10

“A Man Without a Country”

Kurt Vonnegut

A man without a country explores Kurt Vonnegut’s feelings towards the human race, and America in particular during the twilight of his life. The central thesis of the book is that the human race will not survive and that it does not deserve too. Vonnegut’s outlook on America is similarly bleak and to a large extent I agree. Despite the dark tone of the central theme, this is balanced throughout by Vonnegut’s obvious fondness for the human animal – warts and all. 8/10

“The Pearl”

John Steinbeck

On its face, ‘the pearl’ is a touching story about a native family who’s simple lives are ruined when good fortune hands them a prize that is coveted by their colonial masters. However, I like to think that ‘the pearl’ can also be seen as a parable about how the discovery of natural wealth (e.g. oil, diamonds or uranium) can destroy the life-style of indigenous peoples, who often gain little from the these resources. 9/10

“Perilous Power”

Noam Chomsky &

Gilbert Achcar

‘Perilous Power’ is an edited transcription of conversations between Chomsky and Achcar that touches on subjects including: terrorism and conspiracy, fundamentalism and democracy, wars in the middle east and the Israel/Palestine conflict. While this is a fascinating book, the breadth of subjects tackled means that if one is familiar with Chomsky’s positions (which are largely shared by Achar) there is very little new material. 7/10

“East of Eden”

John Steinbeck

East of Eden explores family relationships and morality through the lens of a two generation re-telling of the story of Caine and Abel. Rather than competing for God’s affection, the sons in East of Eden are competing for the affection of their father as they battle against what they perceive is their inherited moral character. Like all great books East of Eden makes one reflect one’s own life. 9/10

“God Bless You

Dr. Kevorkian”

Kurt Vonnegut

This short volume is a transcription of a collection of short interviews for New York’s public radio station, in which Vonnegut is repeatedly killed and resurrected in order to interview the dead. I find something quite beautiful, but difficult to describe about Vonnegut’s writing… so difficult in fact that I won’t try. 9/10

“The Undercover Economist”

Tim Harford

This was a fascinating book, which seeks to explain the appeal and power of economics to ‘regular people’. Harford makes a compelling case for neo-liberal economic policies, although I feel that he should have spent more exploring the extent to which neo-liberal institutions such as the world bank actually implement an even handed globalization policy. I also feel that more discussion was needed on how the disruptive effects of globalization can be mitigated for the poor. 8/10

“The Cost of Living”

Arundhati Roy

This pair of short essays by Arundhati Roy exploring the impact of big dam building in India and expressing her reaction to India’s acquisition of the nuclear bomb. I found that the former provided great insight into Indian culture and specifically the growing divide between India’s traditional villages and rapidly developing cities. I was somewhat less convinced by Roy’s second essay on India’s acquisition of the nuclear bomb. 7/10

“The Book of Mormon”

Joseph Smith

Supposedly discovered by Joseph Smith after a visit from the angel Moroni, the book of Mormon claims to be another testament of Jesus Christ. Amongst some of the odder content is the idea that Jesus Christ lived in America and that Native Americans are a lost tribe of Israel. The book speaks out against those who Joseph Smith no doubt saw as competitors – deists and humanists who venerate democracy over religion. Any laudable ideas that the book of Mormon contains are lifted directly from the new testament. As such, I found the book of Mormon interesting only as a study in how scripture is created by religious figures in order to affect control and gain power. 2/10

“A Power Governments Cannot Suppress”

Howard Zinn

The common thread that runs through this collection of essays is the idea that people rather than governments have been responsible for the positive advances in our society - from the abolition of slavery to the civil rights movement, Zinn exposes how individuals, rather than governments, have fought and won important rights. This, in turn, exposes how the modern education and indoctrination system too often presents our modern rights as ‘gifts’ bestowed by benevolent government. 9/10

“Interventions”

Noam Chomsky

‘Interventions’ is a collection of Chomsky’s essays that have appeared in the printed press around the world. This work was entirely new to me, and like most of Chomsky’s work was insightful and prescient. Unfortunately, because this is a selection of previously separate works there is substantial repetition across the essays. 7/10

“The Audacity of Hope”

Barak Obama

I think that reading writers on the extremes of the political spectrum, from Hayek to Marx has spoiled my enjoyment of books from current politicians. While I have a lot of respect for Barak Obama and believe that it is critical he wins the 2008 election, I found the Audacity of Hope calculatingly centrist even on issues as polarizing as the death penalty. 6/10

“Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class”

Thom Hartmann

Tom Hartmann convincingly makes the argument that since the enactment of Reaganomics in the early 1980s, successive US administrations have weakened the U.S. middle-class and rolled-back hard-won social programs to the detriment of both democracy and the wider economy. While I agree with Thom’s carefully researched positions, I found that this book was a little dry and didn’t add much to the material that I have heard on Thom’s radio show over the last two years.  7/10

“Baghdad Burning”

RiverBend

The book version of a young Iraqi girl’s blog, Baghdad Burning spans the period from the beginning of the occupation to shortly before the 2004 U.S. election. Sadly, the book confirms from the inside that we have brought the worst kind of devastation, chaos and corruption to Iraq. RiverBend’s fate may not have been as bad as some in Iraq – her family escaped after the publication of this book. Nevertheless, there is something very moving in reading about the day-to-day struggles of a middle-class Iraqi family very much like my own. My only complaint about this book is that it had obviously been rather hastily transcribed from the blog. 8/10

“Breakfast of Champions”

Kurt Vonnegut

This is the first of Kurt Vonnegut’s books that I’ve read. It’s a collection of the author’s observations and thoughts on society wrapped in a slightly science-fiction narrative. It’s dark, funny and insightful. I look forward to reading some more Kurt Vonnegut. 9/10

“The Age of Reason”

Thomas Paine

In The Age of Reason, Paine advocates revolution against organized religion just as he did against monarchy and corrupt government. Unfortunately for Paine, Christianity proved itself more brutal and repressive than any of his previous adversaries and the publication of this book led to imprisonment in France and disfavor in America. The Age of Reason is not an atheistic text, but rather it captures Paine’s own deistic beliefs and contrasts them against the absurd dogma of organized religion. For me, this is Paine’s best work. 10/10

“I am America and so Can You”

Stephen Colbert

Whether on his TV show or in this book, Colbert’s portrayal of an egomaniacal, ill-informed, blow-hard pundit is always spot on. His character perfectly embodies everything that is wrong with the U.S punditocracy. Among those who Colbert sets his sights on are homosexuals, the elderly and ‘university elites’. Through the deliberate comedy of his own arguments Colbert reflects and magnifies the stupidity of real pundits like Bill O’Reilly, laying them low while always professing to agree with them. 8/10

“The Rights of Man”

Thomas Paine

Paine wrote ‘The Rights of Man’ in response to Burke’s condemnation of the French revolution, which compared the young republic unfavorably with Britain’s semi-monarchical system. The first part of Rights of Man is a solid defense of the revolution, while the second contains Paine’s thoughts on improving the British system. My enjoyment of this book was tempered throughout by the knowledge that the revolution Paine longed for would unfortunately never happen in Britain. 9/10

“Long Walk to Freedom”

Nelson Mandela

This autobiography of Nelson Mandela is touching and inspiring. Throughout the book, Mandela paints himself, not as the extraordinary man that he is, but as a simple man who could not tolerate the injustice he saw around him and so did whatever he could, whenever he could, to change the world for the better. 9/10

“The Crisis Papers”

Thomas Paine

Following the success of Common Sense, Paine joined Washington’s army in a position approximating that of chief propagandist. Pain wrote 15 crisis papers in all, which provide an interesting summary of the war from an American perspective. Despite the good cause, the feeling of hidden calculation seeps through Paine’s war-time propaganda making it somehow less satisfying than his earlier work. 7/10

“Common Sense”

Thomas Paine

Tom Paine wrote Common Sense from the perspective of a layman enamored with the idea of American independence just prior to the revolutionary war, and Common Sense greatly helped to popularize that cause. This short book is a straight forward call-to-arms and is touching in its directness. Reading Paine, it’s easy to see how ideas like limited government and free enterprise became so deeply embedded in the American psyche, when an overbearing British monarch oppressed the colonies using taxation as a weapon. Despite this, I think Paine would be saddened by some of the arguments of modern U.S. conservatives. 9/10

“Absolute Friends”

John Le Carré

A brilliant book, which follows two quite different characters, each of whom is slowly sucked into the world of espionage, as though it’s the most natural thing in the world. From the Vietnam-era to the tail-end of the cold war, to the current mess in Iraq. Neither can escape being sucked back in again and again. The final results are of course tragic. I think this book has some very interesting things to say about how truly decent people can be used by ideologues. 10/10

“Jarhead”

Anthony Swofford

This book is a war diary from a U.S. Marine Sniper during the first Gulf War. The book appears to be a brutally honest job attempt to communicate the culture of the USMC, the experience of modern warfare and the soldier’s-eye-view of the politics of war. 8/10

“The God Delusion”

Richard Dawkins

It’s rare for me to read a book which re-aligns my world view, but this was such a book. Throughout this book, Dawkins forces one to examine one’s views, clarifying fuzzy thinking on these issues and helping one better understand the role that religious indoctrination plays in all our lives. The book crystallized my view that faith in the supernatural is at best stupid and at worst dangerous. Moreover it captured the inherent beauty of atheism, that we are not the product of some divine tinkering, but rather the most complex known expression of the universe’s inherent beauty. 10/10

“McLibel: Burger Culture

on Trial”

John Vidal

A good summary of the events that led to the prosecution of David Morris and Helen Steel for distributing leaflets critical to McDonalds and the subsequent libel trial. This book, like the trial tries to cover a lot of issues, but it can do so with no real depth. Despite this, the book does a good job of exposing the cultural gulf between corporations and activists and exposing the absurdity of British libel laws. 6/10

“Catch 22”

Joseph Heller

Catch 22 is a glorious, pompous and vain book. A funny, dark and hopeful book. Why am I writing like this? You’ll understand if you read the book. Personally, I started out hating Heller’s writing, with it’s oddball but obvious humor and bizarre and indulgent dialogue, but in a way this perfectly mirrors the senselessness of the subject-matter and as the book wore on, I grew attached to the characters, which one by one lost their lives. Catch 22 has a lot of deep things to say on subjects such as courage, cowardice, heroes and villains. Well worth a read. 9/10

“Anthony and Cleopatra”

William Shakespeare

I’m not a huge Shakespeare fan, but I was particularly interested to read Anthony and Cleopatra as I’m a big fan of the TV show ‘Rome’, which is about to enter this era of history. It looks like Vorenus will play the role of Shakespeare’s ‘Servius’. 7/10

“The First Men in the Moon”

H.G. Wells

One of the lesser known H.G. Wells’ stories, but also one of the most cinematic - at times feeling like a 19^th century action movie. Just as he did in the time-machine, Wells once again uses exotic circumstances to explore our own culture and character. 9/10

“War of the Worlds”

H.G. Wells

A great story, and never really done justice by the films made of it. I think what I like the most is that there are really no heroes, all of the main characters are realistically flawed, but even more so, by comparing the Martian conquest of earth with man’s conquest of the animal kingdom, Wells again poses uncomfortable questions about our own behavior. 10/10

“The Island of Dr. Moreau”

H.G. Wells

It seems to me that each of H.G. Wells’ stories offers a warning, in the case of The Time-Machine, he warns against the degeneration of society due to easy living and in the case of this book, he warns against uninhibited scientific meddling with nature, but even more interesting, through the concept of the beast people – merely animals that are made to look human, he explores our treatment of animals 10/10

“The Time Machine”

H.G. Wells

One of the classics of Sci-Fi, in which Wells uses the Eloi to explore the potentially negative consequences of society’s drive towards efficiency and easy-living. Wells speculates how over time, without struggle or hardship to spur him on, man might degenerate into a pale impression of his former self. 9/10

“I, Robot”

Isaac Asimov

A collection of short stories centered on Isaac Asimov’s three laws of robotics. Sometimes they are interesting, sometimes they are samey. 6/10

“The Godfather”

Mario Puzo

A great book, to which the film is very faithful. One can see how it won the best screenplay Oscar. 8/10

“The Universe in a Nutshell”

Stephen Hawking

Hawking addresses everything from Star Trek to genetic engineering, touching on metaphysics and philosophy as he explores the limits of what we know about the universe. I have to say it gets a little over my head when the discussion turns to p-branes and 11 dimensional universes, but it is good nonetheless. 8/10

“Air America – The Playbook”

Various

Air America – The Playbook is a collection of essays, cartoons and show excerpts from the Air America Radio Network. I’d recommend this book if you’ve listened to a lot of AAR as I have and want to be reminded of some of its finer moments. Not a lot of in-depth new material though. 6/10

“Neoconservatism”

Edited by Irwin Stelzer

This book is written by neo-conservatives in an effort to explain their beliefs. The collection of essays varies significantly in quality, but appears to be a good overview. A number of things struck me: Firstly, neoconservatives evaluate their success in purely perceptive terms, whether it is foreign policy, or domestic (this is illustrated by Kelling and Wilson’s *bizarre* essay on why the police should NOT focus on solving crimes). Secondly, as much as they equivocate, neo-conservatism is just as scary as it first appears. 7/10

“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”

Hunter S. Thomson

Thomson went to Vegas to cover the Mint 400 motorbike race and after a week-long drug rampage came back with a modern classic - crazy, fun and uncomfortably reminiscent of my own lowest moments.  9/10

“Failed States”

Noam Chomsky

Chomsky’s latest explores the question of whether the U.S. demonstrates similar properties to the ‘failed states’ in which it deems the right to intervene. As usual Chomsky is unsurpassed at presenting an unvarnished view of recent history. I found the early chapters a little depressing, though the after-word in particular inspires hope.  9/10

“Heckuva Job”

Calvin Trillin

This book is Trillin’s second collection of poems about the Bush administration. Calvin’s poems are short, simple and funny and this makes them all the more powerful when they strike a nerve, which they often do. I was lucky enough to see Calvin live on the Daily Show and then at a reading in the Strand book store in New York City where I got my copy signed. 8/10

“You Can’t be Neutral on a Moving Train”

Howard Zinn

A political biography of historian and activist Howard Zinn and his involvement with the US civil rights and anti-war movement. I can’t understand how anyone can find Zinn depressing: I found this book moving and full of hope. 9/10

“The Wars Against Saddam”

John Simpson

A very interesting and well written book, which feels both un-political and personal. Probably the best thing that I’ve read on the Iraq wars. 9/10

“Ride with Bin Laden”

Bill Maher

This book takes looks at how normal U.S. citizens can help in the ‘war on terror’ and how US culture has changed from the time of the second world war when governments were willing to ask for sacrifice from their citizens. It’s a little more serious than I was expecting from Bill Maher, who’s show ‘Real Time’ is more comedic. Nevertheless, an interesting read. 7/10

“The Truth, With Jokes.”

Al Franken

This book follows on from “Lies and the Lying Liars that Tell them” and looks at how dishonesty, hypocrisy and even criminal activity were used by the American right to win the 2004 election. Unfortunately, compared to “Lies and the Lying Liars that Tell Them”, this book is a lot less fun. Also, if you listen to Franken’s radio show, you’ll also have heard a lot of this material before. 6/10

“Faster, They’re Gaining”

Peter Biddlecombe

A slightly unusual travel-book which recounts the author’s experiences as he travels to exotic places courtesy of his business expense account. The book is an interesting and honest description of the author’s experiences (most of which center around booze). The only problem is that the author is a very unlikable character. Nevertheless it’s a fun and worthwhile read. 7/10

“Keep the Aspidistra Flying”

George Orwell

This book follows a struggling poet who is trying to escape the prison of a ‘good job’. During Gordon’s self-imposed poverty, the aspidistra becomes a symbol for everything that he believes is wrong with lower-middle class Britain, which he sees as more concerned with keeping up appearances than living life, which in his own way is exactly what Gordon does. 8/10

“Confessions of an Economic Hitman”

John Perkins

I was looking forward to this book, written by a former servant of the World Bank and US-driven corporatism. While it contains some interesting information, it is nauseatingly romanticized, self-aggrandizing and shallow. What else should I have expected? 5/10

“The Road to Serfdom”

Friedrich Hayek

A scathing and thought-provoking attack on collectivism. Hayek argues convincingly that centralization and planned economies naturally foster totalitarianism. Somewhat less convincingly, Hayek attributes all of the virtues of society to individualism.  7/10

“Coming Up For Air”

George Orwell

George Bowling reflects on the changes he has seen in England since the first world war and the changes that he fears the next war will bring. George tries to retreat into the past, but modern life and RAF bombers conspire to make this impossible.  9/10

“Past Mortem”

Ben Elton

I bought this book on impulse at Liverpool Airport. Its well written, with a solid plot, but Elton’s supposedly ‘brilliant’ detective is unbelievably dense and most readers will work out who the killer is long before he has finished his sputtering journey in that direction. 7/10

“The Communist Manifesto”

Karl Marx and

Friedrich Engels

I should have read this a long time ago. The problems this document exposes in modern society are undeniable and just as relevant today as when the document was written, however, the proposed response of a centrally controlled economy and society is equally flawed. 8/10

“A Clergyman’s Daughter”

George Orwell

Another sad Orwell novel. The story is about a rector’s daughter who loses her memory and her faith, yet decides to pretend she still has it. I wonder if he has ever written a book that could be called happy? 8/10

“House of Bush, House of Saud”

Craig Unger

This is a detailed and responsible look at the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia . It is particularly successful at laying bare the influences that have led to the unlikely alliances we see today. Though Unger occasionally slips into some partisan sniping. 7/10

“Burmese Days”

George Orwell

A sad book about an out-of-place Englishman in a small town in colonial Burma. Increasingly alienated from the English establishment, the protagonist (Flory) latches on to a new arrival, a young English woman. He is unable to see that she is just a part of the establishment that he abhors and as things fall apart, he kills himself. Sad but very beautiful. 9/10

“Animal Farm”

George Orwell

I started reading this at 3AM, thinking that I’d read a few pages before bed, bit I couldn’t stop. I ended up reading it all. Light reading, but still a classic. 10/10

“Wilt in Nowhere”

Tom Sharpe

A fairly good book which is laugh-out-loud funny in some parts, though certainly not what I’d have expected from Britain’s ‘funniest living writer’ as the blurbs gushed. 7/10

“How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World”

Francis Wheen

It’s easy to get swept up in Wheen’s impassioned tirade, however, the way in which Wheen dismembers ‘mumbo jumbo’ is often a little dishonest. Wheen tends to simplify the arguments of his opponents to the point where they bear little or no resemblance to their original form and are thus easily refuted. 5/10

“Fateful Triangle”

Noam Chomsky

This book looks at the modern relationship between the U.S., Israel and Palestine. Chomsky uses three tools: universality, brutal intellectual honesty and rigorous research to explore subjects in ways that would be unimaginable in the ‘main-stream’ media. 8/10

“Why Not Me?”

Al Franken

This book follows Al Franken’s fictional 2000 presidential campaign. It’s a slow starter but once Franken warms up, it’s a laugh a minute, particularly the tormenting of Al Gore by Franken’s alcoholic brother. 7/10

“The Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader”

Michael Moore

This is an unusual book, divided into five sections; the ‘screenplay’ of F9/11, supporting evidence, reviews, letters to Moore and related articles. The supporting articles really shore up what I previously thought were some of the weaker elements of the film. 7/10

“Monstrous Regiment”

Terry Pratchett

I thought this was a pretty average Disc World book. It was a fun read with lots of parallels with what’s going on in our own world; however, I thought that some of the blurbs calling it Pratchett’s ‘best work’ were overblown. 7/10

“Going to the Wars”

Max Hastings

A great book by war reporter Max Hastings. It describes some of his adventures and misadventures in various theaters of war. The authors changing views on subjects such as Israel and his own character (or lack thereof) are particularly interesting. 8/10

“Red Dragon”

Thomas Harris

I enjoyed red dragon more than silence but not as much as Hannibal. Interestingly that places my order of the preference for the books exactly the opposite of my order of preference for the films. 7/10

“Sharpe’s Sword”

Bernard Cornwell

A good quality military romp, though not that distinctive. 6/10

“The Silence of the Lambs”

Thomas Harris

Though (ironically) the strongest film in the series ‘Silence of the Lambs’ is not as strong in book form. The reason for this is that the most interesting character, Dr. Lecter remains largely unexplored. 6/10

“Not on the Label”

Felicity Lawrence

This book is an expose of the production methods and politics of the UK food industry. It’s a poor relation to Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation”, which covers the same subject in a more entertaining and detailed way; though it was interesting to see that migrant worker issues are just as important in UK farming. 6/10

“Hannibal”

Thomas Harris

The book was far better than the film, which I though was the weakest of the trilogy. In contrast, the book really gets into the unique characters and there’s a satisfying departure from Hollywood happy-endings. 7/10

“Hegemony or Survival”

Noam Chomsky

A solid indictment of modern US foreign policy. Each page is a reference manual of information, though at times the density of the material can make it hard reading. 8/10

“1984”

George Orwell

This book is just as prescient as everyone says, particularly given the current attempts being made to blur the line between fact and opinion. 9/10

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime”

Mark Haddon

This is a clever and funny book, though I think it’s really intended for a younger audience than me. It’s told from the point of view of a child with special needs and abilities. 8/10

“Lies and the Lying Liars that Tell Them”

Al Franken

This is a great book. Franken systematically disembowels the lies of right-wing pundits one by one. It’s shocking but laugh-out-loud funny all the way through. 8/10