A week ago I finished reading Converting California: Indians and Franciscans in the Missions by James A. Sandos. I liked it.
I picked up this book because I wanted to learn more about the missions and early California history. Unlike many people I know, I did not write a mission report when I was in fourth grade. I went to school in Ohio, so I learned about the native peoples of Ohio and some early settlement around the French and Indian War. Instead of building a mission, I created a brochure that highlighted some Ohio tribes for a tourist back in the day.
As explained in the introduction, several studies of early California history view the Spanish missions as either the greatest or the worst thing to ever happen to California and the native people. Converting California looks for the truth which is somewhere in the middle. I will highlight a few things I found interesting.
The big initial reason for the sudden expansion into California was to secure the coastline for Spain against other powers, such as Russia.
There was conflict between how the Spanish military and the Franciscan friars wanted to treat the native peoples. Then among both groups, there was a variety of individual attitudes toward native peoples. There were some amazing friars and soldiers, but there were also some who shamelessly exploited the native inhabitants.
The missions and presidios brought the native peoples a common language. This allowed different tribes to communicate with each other in common goals, like plotting against the Spanish.
Fr. Serra was a good guy. He believed that he was saving the souls of native people by bringing Christ to them. Everything he did was to advance this goal. His personal actions imitated Christ. Before he went to Alta California, Fr. Serra said that if he is killed by the native people that they should be forgiven. When one of his brother friars was brutally killed, he urged mercy and forgiveness for the murders.
Native people who lived as part of the missions had a shorter lifespan than those who remained in their normal dwelling places. The friars were aware of this, but did not have a ready explanation. Diseases such as syphilis were easily transmitted. In the late Eighteenth Century, the germ theory of disease was not known. Common procedures like tattooing and medical treatments of the day including scaring skin transferred blood between people. I learned syphilis was present in the new world before European contact, but was then spread around by Europeans.
A Documentary
After I read the book, I watched Serra: Ever Forward, Never Back, which aired on EWTN in November. The docudrama was nothing great, but it complemented the book nicely. It focused on the parts of Fr. Serra's life the book did not. It also included some footage of where Serra grew up on the island of Majorca, Spain and where he was a missionary in Mexico. Some more information about the program, which was filmed in California, is also online.
Nov 24, 2013 was the 300 anniversary of Fr. Serra's birth. He is beatified, so he is one step away from becoming an official saint.
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
The Secret History and Free Books
I just finished reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It was good.
I first heard about this book from the graduate student instructor for my Ancient Religion class at Berkeley. He said it was the reason he became interested in classics. Since he was working on a graduate classics degree at Berkeley, it must have been a pretty good inspiration. However, when I had time to find and read the book after the semester, I forgot the title. I tried searching online using a few words of what I remembered from the plot, but they were too vague.
Fast forward five years to last month when I was a groomsman at the wedding of my friend Frank. I was sitting next to his friend from the University of Chicago. This person studied Byzantine history, which is interesting to me. He wrote his thesis about the Secret History, a work by Procopius from around 550 AD. In this work, Procopius gives a scathing critique of the Emperor Justinian and his associates. For his thesis, this person analyzed if the Secret History was based on facts or a made up propaganda piece. He was from San Mateo, so I asked him if knew Monica (a friend from Berkeley), and he did. They went to the same high school.
When I got home, I was interested in looking into the Secret History of Procopius. I googled the secret history, and the first thing I found was a novel by Donna Tartt. I took a quick look at the summary and realized this was the book I had forgotten the title to.
Now for the novel The Secret History. It follows a group of classics students in a small college in Vermont. The books opens with the narrator saying he and his friends killed someone. He then explains the events and people years earlier who brought his life to that point. It centers around a group of odd students who study Greek and revive worship of the ancient Greek god Dionysus.
The book was published in 1992 and the main action is retold years after the fact, which would put the book happening in the early eighties or earlier. All of it is from another era. There are things I can relate to, but it is also decades away. For example, dorms had one phone for the entire building. If you wanted to get a hold of someone, you had to call the building where he lived. If he was not there, you left a message with whoever answered the phone.
I enjoyed all of the ancient history and classical references. Everything from direct quotes of works, to mentions of ancient Greek drama, to allusions to Greek heroes, to a character comparing a teacher to Richmond Lattimore. It is unfortunate a lot of readers will not enjoy those comments.
While I liked a lot of the book, a couple of things in the book were unnecessary. I will not go into details since that would compromise the story. I also had an idea to prevent the murder that did not occur to any of the characters.
I have imagined what it would be like if I attended a small liberal arts college. It would be nice to live in and use buildings that had a lot of history and to live on a small campus where the seasons could be experienced. However, I would also be disappointed. There would be so few choices for classes and most of them would be taught by the same few professors. Their idea of a science class would look like a bunch of people playing with over sized kids' chemistry sets. I would think, I shelled out $30,000 a year for this place? Plus, they wouldn't even have an element on the periodic table named after them.
Free Books
My friend James is moving to the east coast to start law school at Harvard. To downsize his book collection, he posted a list of books on facebook he was giving away for free to a good home.
I got three books from James. They are:
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
Rogue Regime: Kim Jong Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea by Jasper Becker
Military Leaders in the Civil War by Joseph B. Mitchell
I am thankful for all of these books.
The first book was one he got as a gift from a former roommate of mine. The second was one of his several books on Korea. I know almost nothing about Korea and I want to change that. The third book was one James thought I would enjoy. It is short sketches of ten military leaders of the Civil War. It is a character study that analyzes what personality traits, strategies, or themes lead to their successes or failures. It looks interesting, so I think James was right in thinking I would like it.
Now the biggest problem of all, setting aside time to read all of these books. To inspire myself to work harder, I am starting with the Theodore Roosevelt book. I am taking the book with me to school and reading it in the library when I have some time. I am aiming for a chapter a day.
I first heard about this book from the graduate student instructor for my Ancient Religion class at Berkeley. He said it was the reason he became interested in classics. Since he was working on a graduate classics degree at Berkeley, it must have been a pretty good inspiration. However, when I had time to find and read the book after the semester, I forgot the title. I tried searching online using a few words of what I remembered from the plot, but they were too vague.
Fast forward five years to last month when I was a groomsman at the wedding of my friend Frank. I was sitting next to his friend from the University of Chicago. This person studied Byzantine history, which is interesting to me. He wrote his thesis about the Secret History, a work by Procopius from around 550 AD. In this work, Procopius gives a scathing critique of the Emperor Justinian and his associates. For his thesis, this person analyzed if the Secret History was based on facts or a made up propaganda piece. He was from San Mateo, so I asked him if knew Monica (a friend from Berkeley), and he did. They went to the same high school.
When I got home, I was interested in looking into the Secret History of Procopius. I googled the secret history, and the first thing I found was a novel by Donna Tartt. I took a quick look at the summary and realized this was the book I had forgotten the title to.
Now for the novel The Secret History. It follows a group of classics students in a small college in Vermont. The books opens with the narrator saying he and his friends killed someone. He then explains the events and people years earlier who brought his life to that point. It centers around a group of odd students who study Greek and revive worship of the ancient Greek god Dionysus.
The book was published in 1992 and the main action is retold years after the fact, which would put the book happening in the early eighties or earlier. All of it is from another era. There are things I can relate to, but it is also decades away. For example, dorms had one phone for the entire building. If you wanted to get a hold of someone, you had to call the building where he lived. If he was not there, you left a message with whoever answered the phone.
I enjoyed all of the ancient history and classical references. Everything from direct quotes of works, to mentions of ancient Greek drama, to allusions to Greek heroes, to a character comparing a teacher to Richmond Lattimore. It is unfortunate a lot of readers will not enjoy those comments.
While I liked a lot of the book, a couple of things in the book were unnecessary. I will not go into details since that would compromise the story. I also had an idea to prevent the murder that did not occur to any of the characters.
I have imagined what it would be like if I attended a small liberal arts college. It would be nice to live in and use buildings that had a lot of history and to live on a small campus where the seasons could be experienced. However, I would also be disappointed. There would be so few choices for classes and most of them would be taught by the same few professors. Their idea of a science class would look like a bunch of people playing with over sized kids' chemistry sets. I would think, I shelled out $30,000 a year for this place? Plus, they wouldn't even have an element on the periodic table named after them.
Free Books
My friend James is moving to the east coast to start law school at Harvard. To downsize his book collection, he posted a list of books on facebook he was giving away for free to a good home.
I got three books from James. They are:
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
Rogue Regime: Kim Jong Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea by Jasper Becker
Military Leaders in the Civil War by Joseph B. Mitchell
I am thankful for all of these books.
The first book was one he got as a gift from a former roommate of mine. The second was one of his several books on Korea. I know almost nothing about Korea and I want to change that. The third book was one James thought I would enjoy. It is short sketches of ten military leaders of the Civil War. It is a character study that analyzes what personality traits, strategies, or themes lead to their successes or failures. It looks interesting, so I think James was right in thinking I would like it.
Now the biggest problem of all, setting aside time to read all of these books. To inspire myself to work harder, I am starting with the Theodore Roosevelt book. I am taking the book with me to school and reading it in the library when I have some time. I am aiming for a chapter a day.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
St. Therese of Lisieux and Vatican II
A few weeks ago I finished The Story of a Soul, the autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux.
It was not as good as I had hoped. There was a lot of stuff about Therese growing up. She would have been a handful to deal with. The littlest things set her off. She also does not take no for an answer. She knew she wanted to join the Carmel cloister when she was young. When she made her intention known at the age of 14, the priest-superior of the order said she was too young. Then she went to the bishop to ask his permission. When he said the same thing, she traveled to Rome and appealed to Pope Leo XIII. He told her to do what her superiors instructed, which was wait until she was older.
What I do like about St. Therese (which I knew about before reading this), was her idea on small acts of kindness. When we cannot do great things, we can do small things with great love. She is often called Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (the names she took as a religious) or the Little Flower of Jesus. She died in 1897 at the age of 24. However, she is a Doctor of the Church, which means she is really important (only 35 in 2,000 years). She is not to be confused with St. Teresa of Avila, another Doctor of the Church who reformed the Carmelite Order and wrote The Interior Castle in the 1500s.
Seeing posts online, some of my friends like St. Therese of Lisieux and her writings a lot. Mother Teresa of Calcutta took her name after Therese of Lisieux.
One remarkable thing is the piety of Therese's family. Both of her parents have been declared to be blessed. All four of her sisters that survived to adulthood became nuns.
Reading this was a continuation of the reading club/discussion group/salvation Skypes/Catholic conversations (we do not have a good name) I started with Amanda last year to read the Bible.
Vatican II
The other thing we read earlier this year was all of the documents from the Second Vatican Council. All the Vatican II documents are available online in a variety of languages, including Byelorussian and Swahili.
There were no great revelations in the documents for me. A lot of it was stuff I had heard before. I was disappointed in a few of the documents. They had a lot of general comments. Often they said a particular issue needed to be addressed and said bishops should appoint a group to study a problem and recommend changes. This was boring, because I wanted to read about the changes themselves. However, people say it was a really important council and a lot of stuff came out of it, like the mass being in local languages instead of Latin.
If you are interested in reading a few of the documents, I would recommend you read the constitutions. They were the best and most important.
Vatican II took place from 1962-1965, so last year was the 50th anniversary of when it started. To celebrate this, the Pope declared a celebration called the Year of Faith. People are encouraged to read the Vatican II documents as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church and gain a deeper understanding of their faith.
It was not as good as I had hoped. There was a lot of stuff about Therese growing up. She would have been a handful to deal with. The littlest things set her off. She also does not take no for an answer. She knew she wanted to join the Carmel cloister when she was young. When she made her intention known at the age of 14, the priest-superior of the order said she was too young. Then she went to the bishop to ask his permission. When he said the same thing, she traveled to Rome and appealed to Pope Leo XIII. He told her to do what her superiors instructed, which was wait until she was older.
What I do like about St. Therese (which I knew about before reading this), was her idea on small acts of kindness. When we cannot do great things, we can do small things with great love. She is often called Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (the names she took as a religious) or the Little Flower of Jesus. She died in 1897 at the age of 24. However, she is a Doctor of the Church, which means she is really important (only 35 in 2,000 years). She is not to be confused with St. Teresa of Avila, another Doctor of the Church who reformed the Carmelite Order and wrote The Interior Castle in the 1500s.
Seeing posts online, some of my friends like St. Therese of Lisieux and her writings a lot. Mother Teresa of Calcutta took her name after Therese of Lisieux.
One remarkable thing is the piety of Therese's family. Both of her parents have been declared to be blessed. All four of her sisters that survived to adulthood became nuns.
Reading this was a continuation of the reading club/discussion group/salvation Skypes/Catholic conversations (we do not have a good name) I started with Amanda last year to read the Bible.
Vatican II
The other thing we read earlier this year was all of the documents from the Second Vatican Council. All the Vatican II documents are available online in a variety of languages, including Byelorussian and Swahili.
There were no great revelations in the documents for me. A lot of it was stuff I had heard before. I was disappointed in a few of the documents. They had a lot of general comments. Often they said a particular issue needed to be addressed and said bishops should appoint a group to study a problem and recommend changes. This was boring, because I wanted to read about the changes themselves. However, people say it was a really important council and a lot of stuff came out of it, like the mass being in local languages instead of Latin.
If you are interested in reading a few of the documents, I would recommend you read the constitutions. They were the best and most important.
Vatican II took place from 1962-1965, so last year was the 50th anniversary of when it started. To celebrate this, the Pope declared a celebration called the Year of Faith. People are encouraged to read the Vatican II documents as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church and gain a deeper understanding of their faith.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Hiro Protagonist in Snow Crash
On Wednesday I finished the book Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It was great.
The story of why I read this book starts in April. I was going to Fresno for Juliette's wedding. I was carpooling with Justin, who was driving up from San Diego. I do not know Justin very well, his first semester at Berkeley was my last. However, we know a lot of the same people (53 mutual friends according to facebook) and were involved in similar activities. He explained the book and I was interested in reading it.
The main character, aptly named Hiro Protagonist, is a hacker and a great swordsman. His business card from the book is below. His dad was in the army when he was growing up (like me) and he graduated from Berkeley (like me). He mentioned meeting another character in his freshman physics lab section.
I enjoyed the universe Stephenson created. It had a slight dystopian feel. Everything is owned by a franchise of a massive corporation. Some things that are easy for us to imagine today would have been more fanciful when the book was published in 1992. For example, in the book there is a metaverse. It is a vast virtual reality world where people around the world can connect and interact with each other.
I don't want to give away too much of the story. Our hacker and swordfigher Hiro has to save the day. Some hackers are being infected by a virus and people are trying to figure out what it is. The investigation brings in Sumerian mythology, ideas about information, and even some glossolalia (speaking in tongues).
A lot of the book takes place in Southern California, so there are references to freeways around Los Angeles. However, the references were not imbued with a personal experience of living here. For example, the indefinite article the was left off when referring to "the 405." If the "the" is not there, it is wrong.
If you like science fiction, you should check out Snow Crash. If you like the world Stephenson creates in the first few pages, you should enjoy the book.
The story of why I read this book starts in April. I was going to Fresno for Juliette's wedding. I was carpooling with Justin, who was driving up from San Diego. I do not know Justin very well, his first semester at Berkeley was my last. However, we know a lot of the same people (53 mutual friends according to facebook) and were involved in similar activities. He explained the book and I was interested in reading it.
The main character, aptly named Hiro Protagonist, is a hacker and a great swordsman. His business card from the book is below. His dad was in the army when he was growing up (like me) and he graduated from Berkeley (like me). He mentioned meeting another character in his freshman physics lab section.
I enjoyed the universe Stephenson created. It had a slight dystopian feel. Everything is owned by a franchise of a massive corporation. Some things that are easy for us to imagine today would have been more fanciful when the book was published in 1992. For example, in the book there is a metaverse. It is a vast virtual reality world where people around the world can connect and interact with each other.
I don't want to give away too much of the story. Our hacker and swordfigher Hiro has to save the day. Some hackers are being infected by a virus and people are trying to figure out what it is. The investigation brings in Sumerian mythology, ideas about information, and even some glossolalia (speaking in tongues).
A lot of the book takes place in Southern California, so there are references to freeways around Los Angeles. However, the references were not imbued with a personal experience of living here. For example, the indefinite article the was left off when referring to "the 405." If the "the" is not there, it is wrong.
If you like science fiction, you should check out Snow Crash. If you like the world Stephenson creates in the first few pages, you should enjoy the book.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Books: The Picture and Killing
There are two books I recently read.
The first is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Before I read the novel, all I knew was the basic idea. A picture is painted of Dorian Gray and the picture ages, while Dorian Gray himself does not age. However, the book has a lot more than that. It goes into beauty, what gives things value, and some other things. The book has a lot of witty lines, which I am told is normal for Wilde's works.
The book was controversial when it was published in 1890, so I wanted to see what it was like by today's standards. However, it was only after I read the book that I discovered there are two versions. The original version differs from the common novel version. I had read the second version which is 20 chapter long. This included a lot of changes after the original public outcry. I missed out on the homosexual content and the unrestrained hedonism of the original.
The good news is Project Gutenberg has the original 13 chapter text. I might read the original one day, but right now I have had enough of the story. I would like to check out some of Wilde's plays.
The second book I read was Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. I sometimes watch The O'Reilly Factor, so I wanted to see what the book was like.
The book starts at the beginning of April 1865 and follows in parallel the end of the Civil War, President Lincoln's actions, and John Wilkes Booth's planning. The narrative builds anticipation. The reader knows Lincoln will be shot, but it is still exciting to read.
There are many great books about Lincoln which are more detailed and scholarly. The strength of Killing Lincoln is its accessibility. It could get people who do not care about history into history. O'Reilly was a high school history teacher for a short time and I think the book is directed to certain types of students he had.
After reading the book, I looked at its reviews on Amazon. There were a lot of 5 star reviews and a lot of 1 star reviews. When they are that polarizing the reviews can be interesting. A few people pointed out minor inaccuracies and factual errors. However, some people were still bitter the South lost the Civil War and disliked anything positive about Lincoln.
The first is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Before I read the novel, all I knew was the basic idea. A picture is painted of Dorian Gray and the picture ages, while Dorian Gray himself does not age. However, the book has a lot more than that. It goes into beauty, what gives things value, and some other things. The book has a lot of witty lines, which I am told is normal for Wilde's works.
The book was controversial when it was published in 1890, so I wanted to see what it was like by today's standards. However, it was only after I read the book that I discovered there are two versions. The original version differs from the common novel version. I had read the second version which is 20 chapter long. This included a lot of changes after the original public outcry. I missed out on the homosexual content and the unrestrained hedonism of the original.
The good news is Project Gutenberg has the original 13 chapter text. I might read the original one day, but right now I have had enough of the story. I would like to check out some of Wilde's plays.
The second book I read was Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. I sometimes watch The O'Reilly Factor, so I wanted to see what the book was like.
The book starts at the beginning of April 1865 and follows in parallel the end of the Civil War, President Lincoln's actions, and John Wilkes Booth's planning. The narrative builds anticipation. The reader knows Lincoln will be shot, but it is still exciting to read.
There are many great books about Lincoln which are more detailed and scholarly. The strength of Killing Lincoln is its accessibility. It could get people who do not care about history into history. O'Reilly was a high school history teacher for a short time and I think the book is directed to certain types of students he had.
After reading the book, I looked at its reviews on Amazon. There were a lot of 5 star reviews and a lot of 1 star reviews. When they are that polarizing the reviews can be interesting. A few people pointed out minor inaccuracies and factual errors. However, some people were still bitter the South lost the Civil War and disliked anything positive about Lincoln.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Through the Bible in a year
The week before Christmas I finished reading the Bible. This project started in January when Amanda made this post on her blog.
My general comments are:
If you want to do something like this, you need to find some kind of accountability. Amanda and I were on the same reading schedule and chatted about the readings over Skype every week. Since we would talk on Monday nights, I did most of my reading on Sunday and Monday right before we chatted. We would often pick out different (or even the same) verses and ideas to comment on. She picked up on a lot of things I completely missed. Without her support, I would have fallen away from the reading soon after starting. While you could probably read 1500 pages of a normal book, there are a few sections that could derail all but the most dedicated reader.
Some of the things I learned have already been useful. Someone had a question at a Bible study and I was ready to give a short lecture on typology as an answer. A few weeks ago my general comments about Zephaniah had someone asking if I took a theology class. My knowledge of ancient history was helpful in understanding a few of the things I read.
Now I am working on some summary sheets with a few comments on the minor prophets. Knowing just a couple of sentences about a few people can go a long way. The next time a Protestant or a self-proclaimed Christian who rejects the Council of Nicaea (which I think is a contradiction) tries to argue with me I want to be ready.
I also read the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the last year. Nothing specific stands out from it.
Now I need a new religious reading project. What do you think we should read next? It could be the writings of the early Church Fathers, Vatican II documents, Papal encyclicals, writings of saints like City of God or Summa Theologiae, a specific study on one gospel/letter, or something completely different.
My general comments are:
- The Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures could have used a good copy editor. Things are out of order, repeated, contradict each other, and make for a very boring read in several places.
- There are some unappreciated things in the New Testament.
- The prophetic books have a lot of oracles against different groups of people. However, it is hard to build a sense of who is who because I have no exposure to these groups of people outside of a Biblical context.
- I want to learn more about Judaism to understand how they view and interpret their scriptures.
If you want to do something like this, you need to find some kind of accountability. Amanda and I were on the same reading schedule and chatted about the readings over Skype every week. Since we would talk on Monday nights, I did most of my reading on Sunday and Monday right before we chatted. We would often pick out different (or even the same) verses and ideas to comment on. She picked up on a lot of things I completely missed. Without her support, I would have fallen away from the reading soon after starting. While you could probably read 1500 pages of a normal book, there are a few sections that could derail all but the most dedicated reader.
Some of the things I learned have already been useful. Someone had a question at a Bible study and I was ready to give a short lecture on typology as an answer. A few weeks ago my general comments about Zephaniah had someone asking if I took a theology class. My knowledge of ancient history was helpful in understanding a few of the things I read.
Now I am working on some summary sheets with a few comments on the minor prophets. Knowing just a couple of sentences about a few people can go a long way. The next time a Protestant or a self-proclaimed Christian who rejects the Council of Nicaea (which I think is a contradiction) tries to argue with me I want to be ready.
I also read the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the last year. Nothing specific stands out from it.
Now I need a new religious reading project. What do you think we should read next? It could be the writings of the early Church Fathers, Vatican II documents, Papal encyclicals, writings of saints like City of God or Summa Theologiae, a specific study on one gospel/letter, or something completely different.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
The Poison Belt & Professor Challenger
I just finished reading The Poison Belt by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I enjoyed it.
I read this story because it was published immediately after The Lost World and follows the same main characters. I read that novel a few years ago, when I used to make a lot of posts and read a lot of books.
I never made a post about The Lost World, so I will say a few words about it. The novel follows some adventurers as they find an isolated area where dinosaurs still live. Aside from that, you should know the book is awesome. Written in 1912, it has all the excitement of turn of the century English men of science exploring unknown lands. Then there is the adventure of trying to survive dinosaurs and holdovers from prehistory. One of the memorable characters is Professor Challenger. He has an imposing intellect, possess great reasoning skills, and does not back down from his conclusions. However, he is aware of his intellectual prowess and lacks patience when dealing with lesser minds. He can be arrogant and argumentative.
The Poison Belt starts with Professor Challenger publishing a letter to the public stating the blurring of Fraunhofer lines in light could be a harbinger of horrible things for humanity. This is a great scientific way to start a story and fully consistent with the science of the day. Since the story is relatively short, I will leave off any more details.
Standing alone, The Poison Belt is an interesting read, but not a noteworthy novel. If it did not continue with the main characters of The Lost World, it would be nearly forgotten.
If you want a book to read, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World is highly recommended. If you want more of Professor Challenger after that, The Poison Belt should be next.
I read this story because it was published immediately after The Lost World and follows the same main characters. I read that novel a few years ago, when I used to make a lot of posts and read a lot of books.
I never made a post about The Lost World, so I will say a few words about it. The novel follows some adventurers as they find an isolated area where dinosaurs still live. Aside from that, you should know the book is awesome. Written in 1912, it has all the excitement of turn of the century English men of science exploring unknown lands. Then there is the adventure of trying to survive dinosaurs and holdovers from prehistory. One of the memorable characters is Professor Challenger. He has an imposing intellect, possess great reasoning skills, and does not back down from his conclusions. However, he is aware of his intellectual prowess and lacks patience when dealing with lesser minds. He can be arrogant and argumentative.
The Poison Belt starts with Professor Challenger publishing a letter to the public stating the blurring of Fraunhofer lines in light could be a harbinger of horrible things for humanity. This is a great scientific way to start a story and fully consistent with the science of the day. Since the story is relatively short, I will leave off any more details.
Standing alone, The Poison Belt is an interesting read, but not a noteworthy novel. If it did not continue with the main characters of The Lost World, it would be nearly forgotten.
If you want a book to read, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World is highly recommended. If you want more of Professor Challenger after that, The Poison Belt should be next.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
This Side of Paradise
I finished reading This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The book follows Amory Blaine as he attends school, encounters people, and how he reacts as a person. Amory was born in the late 1890s. He attended a boarding school and went to college at Princeton. When he graduated he was in the Great War. While the book is not an autobiography, it is close to one. Fitzgerald drew extensively from his experiences and modeled characters on people he knew.
My favorite part of the book was being in the world of the early 1900s. It was a time of debutantes, letters of introduction, and clubs being vitally important in college society. The world of 100 years ago was so different from today. Yet some striking similarities are still there.
I find myself comparing Amory's life to my own. Most things are differences, but I can understand how he operates. If Fitzgerald was born 90 years later and wrote the same book about his experiences, it would have a lot in common with my life. We are both from upper middle-class families, went to good colleges, and try to make sense of our lives after graduation when everything around us is falling apart.
The writing style and format are interesting and vary from section to section. For example, one part of the book is written in narrative drama, which is like a play. All of the dialogue is preceded by the name of who is speaking. A few parentheticals describe how the actors should deliver their lines. There are even stage directions saying who is in the scene. I like dialogue written like this better than the standard method. Many times in books I am not sure who is speaking a line until I read a few lines beyond. The format also helps me stage the scene mentally.
Amory is a fan of literature and he mentions a lot of the authors of the day. While I have not heard of many of them, a few of them are on the list of writers I want to read. There are also several poems in the book written by the different characters. I try to imagine their world where people use the mail to send poems to their friends.
One part of the book I kept reading myself into were the romances. It was just a couple of months ago that I fell into and out of love, so I keep comparing the experiences of Amory to my own.
When I finished reading the book I did not know what to make of the ending. Was it good or bad? I went back and reread a couple of sections to find some explanations. One of Fitzgerald's well known quotes is "Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy." I have not decided if the ending is triumphal or tragic.
What elevated the book to above average quality for me was how I related to Amory Blaine. If you are interested in reading the book after what I have described you should read it immediately. The book ends a few years after college, so that is when you should read it.
I look forward to reading more of Fitzgerald's works.
The book follows Amory Blaine as he attends school, encounters people, and how he reacts as a person. Amory was born in the late 1890s. He attended a boarding school and went to college at Princeton. When he graduated he was in the Great War. While the book is not an autobiography, it is close to one. Fitzgerald drew extensively from his experiences and modeled characters on people he knew.
My favorite part of the book was being in the world of the early 1900s. It was a time of debutantes, letters of introduction, and clubs being vitally important in college society. The world of 100 years ago was so different from today. Yet some striking similarities are still there.
I find myself comparing Amory's life to my own. Most things are differences, but I can understand how he operates. If Fitzgerald was born 90 years later and wrote the same book about his experiences, it would have a lot in common with my life. We are both from upper middle-class families, went to good colleges, and try to make sense of our lives after graduation when everything around us is falling apart.
The writing style and format are interesting and vary from section to section. For example, one part of the book is written in narrative drama, which is like a play. All of the dialogue is preceded by the name of who is speaking. A few parentheticals describe how the actors should deliver their lines. There are even stage directions saying who is in the scene. I like dialogue written like this better than the standard method. Many times in books I am not sure who is speaking a line until I read a few lines beyond. The format also helps me stage the scene mentally.
Amory is a fan of literature and he mentions a lot of the authors of the day. While I have not heard of many of them, a few of them are on the list of writers I want to read. There are also several poems in the book written by the different characters. I try to imagine their world where people use the mail to send poems to their friends.
One part of the book I kept reading myself into were the romances. It was just a couple of months ago that I fell into and out of love, so I keep comparing the experiences of Amory to my own.
When I finished reading the book I did not know what to make of the ending. Was it good or bad? I went back and reread a couple of sections to find some explanations. One of Fitzgerald's well known quotes is "Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy." I have not decided if the ending is triumphal or tragic.
What elevated the book to above average quality for me was how I related to Amory Blaine. If you are interested in reading the book after what I have described you should read it immediately. The book ends a few years after college, so that is when you should read it.
I look forward to reading more of Fitzgerald's works.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Stapledon, Last Men, and the Star Maker
I just finished the novel Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon. This book was only available at one of the branches to the Huntington Beach Public Library, the Helen Murphy Branch. When I checked it out it had dust on it. The librarian said it had not been checked out for five years. The book was two novels put together so I will describe both of them.
Last and First Men
This is written like a history of humankind seen from the point of view of one of the Last Men. The book covers the future of mankind from when the book was published in 1930 until two billion years in the future.
The book has an epic scale and a lot of great ideas. The descriptions of epochs in the book telescope as they get further into the future. For the first few years, things are described in detail. As time moves on, the histories become more general as more time is covered.
The predictions of the near future might have been interesting when the book was first published in 1930, but as of today I think most people could skip the first three chapters. I considered putting the book down several times as it was such a slow start.
In this sense the book reminds me of Jack London's The Sea-Wolf. Both of them are great books, except for a 50+ page section that I wish I could summarize and erase. Last and First Men has the misfortune of this bad part being the beginning, while The Sea-Wof has it at the end.
If you make it through Last and First Men, you should check out another one of Stapledon's books. It is a follow up book of sorts.
Star Maker
The form of the book is similar to Last and First Men, except it covers the history of the galaxy and beyond. The narrator is an Englishman whose mind wanders the galaxy. He not only observes other worlds with their inhabitants, but also has the ability to enter into the minds of these alien people. As the narrator gradually learns how to control his travel and discovers more about other worlds, his abilities of vision and observation increase.
The descriptions of other worlds and their inhabitants is the best part of the book. Stapledon's creations are nothing like the anthropomorphic aliens common today. Throughout the book, all these different beings are trying to understand the force behind the universe. This substance, whether it be a god, organized intelligence, or something else is called the Star Maker.
Oalf Stapledon
In the development of science fiction, Stapledon is an important figure. He came up with a lot of ideas and influenced several writers. Arthur C. Clark was greatly influenced by him. C.S. Lewis was also influenced, but in the opposite way. Lewis strongly disagreed with Stapledon's ideas and directly countered them in his writing.
I recommend both books. However, if you do not have the patience the first three chapters of Last and First Men can be omitted.
Last and First Men
This is written like a history of humankind seen from the point of view of one of the Last Men. The book covers the future of mankind from when the book was published in 1930 until two billion years in the future.
The book has an epic scale and a lot of great ideas. The descriptions of epochs in the book telescope as they get further into the future. For the first few years, things are described in detail. As time moves on, the histories become more general as more time is covered.
The predictions of the near future might have been interesting when the book was first published in 1930, but as of today I think most people could skip the first three chapters. I considered putting the book down several times as it was such a slow start.
In this sense the book reminds me of Jack London's The Sea-Wolf. Both of them are great books, except for a 50+ page section that I wish I could summarize and erase. Last and First Men has the misfortune of this bad part being the beginning, while The Sea-Wof has it at the end.
If you make it through Last and First Men, you should check out another one of Stapledon's books. It is a follow up book of sorts.
Star Maker
The form of the book is similar to Last and First Men, except it covers the history of the galaxy and beyond. The narrator is an Englishman whose mind wanders the galaxy. He not only observes other worlds with their inhabitants, but also has the ability to enter into the minds of these alien people. As the narrator gradually learns how to control his travel and discovers more about other worlds, his abilities of vision and observation increase.
The descriptions of other worlds and their inhabitants is the best part of the book. Stapledon's creations are nothing like the anthropomorphic aliens common today. Throughout the book, all these different beings are trying to understand the force behind the universe. This substance, whether it be a god, organized intelligence, or something else is called the Star Maker.
Oalf Stapledon
In the development of science fiction, Stapledon is an important figure. He came up with a lot of ideas and influenced several writers. Arthur C. Clark was greatly influenced by him. C.S. Lewis was also influenced, but in the opposite way. Lewis strongly disagreed with Stapledon's ideas and directly countered them in his writing.
I recommend both books. However, if you do not have the patience the first three chapters of Last and First Men can be omitted.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Capitalism and Freedom
Yesterday I finished reading Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman. I liked it. As Friedman writes in the introduction,
Taxes
Friedman would restructure taxes so they are only applied to individuals. He would require companies to report their earnings to their shareholders who would then be required to report their share based on their ownership stake on their personal tax returns. This would stop the unequal taxing of income based on its source and tax it at its final destination, the individual receiver. Since the taxes are being reported by the individuals who own the companies, the corporate tax would be abolished. Next, he would remove all income tax deductions and loopholes. He would institute a flat tax, with the first several thousand in earnings tax exempt.
This system would have many advantages. The uniform tax rate would discourage moving income between securities to reduce the tax rate. The tax code would be understandable so many more people could file their own taxes without paying accountants or buying tax software every year. I think this would also go a long way toward making politics better. Industries would not lobby for changes in the tax code to benefit them because all taxes would be bundled with individuals rates and all deductions would be abolished.
Education
Friedman advocates that parents who wish to send their children to private schools be paid a sum equal to what would be spent on educating their children in a public school. This money could then be used at approved educational institutions. If the state has the goal of ensuring every child is educated, it should allow the money allocated for each child to follow that child. This would remove the requirement that private school parents pay twice for education, once through taxes for public schools and a second time for the education they actually receive. This would give parents of limited means a wider range of choices in schools for their children.
Licenses for occupations
Friedman writes about the negative effects of licensure in any occupation. Aside from limiting a person's choice of profession and the consumer's options, license boards can easily become an interest group that protects the interests of practitioners instead of people outside the profession. He specifically attacks the American Medical Association for their efforts to limit the number of doctors and consequently keep the costs of medical care high. This would benefit practicing doctors by keeping their wages high.
While I enjoyed reading the book, I liked Hayek's Road to Serfdom better.
Throughout the book Friedman raises some good questions. Even if you disagree with his conclusions, they are questions worth answering.
[The book's] major theme is the role of competitive capitalism-the organization of the bulk of economic activity through private enterprise operating in a free market-as a system of economic freedom and a necessary condition for political freedom.The book was published in 1962, but the ideas are still powerful and worth considering. His thinking shows why he is one of most influential economists of the last century. I will summarize his ideas in three areas.
Taxes
Friedman would restructure taxes so they are only applied to individuals. He would require companies to report their earnings to their shareholders who would then be required to report their share based on their ownership stake on their personal tax returns. This would stop the unequal taxing of income based on its source and tax it at its final destination, the individual receiver. Since the taxes are being reported by the individuals who own the companies, the corporate tax would be abolished. Next, he would remove all income tax deductions and loopholes. He would institute a flat tax, with the first several thousand in earnings tax exempt.
This system would have many advantages. The uniform tax rate would discourage moving income between securities to reduce the tax rate. The tax code would be understandable so many more people could file their own taxes without paying accountants or buying tax software every year. I think this would also go a long way toward making politics better. Industries would not lobby for changes in the tax code to benefit them because all taxes would be bundled with individuals rates and all deductions would be abolished.
Education
Friedman advocates that parents who wish to send their children to private schools be paid a sum equal to what would be spent on educating their children in a public school. This money could then be used at approved educational institutions. If the state has the goal of ensuring every child is educated, it should allow the money allocated for each child to follow that child. This would remove the requirement that private school parents pay twice for education, once through taxes for public schools and a second time for the education they actually receive. This would give parents of limited means a wider range of choices in schools for their children.
Licenses for occupations
Friedman writes about the negative effects of licensure in any occupation. Aside from limiting a person's choice of profession and the consumer's options, license boards can easily become an interest group that protects the interests of practitioners instead of people outside the profession. He specifically attacks the American Medical Association for their efforts to limit the number of doctors and consequently keep the costs of medical care high. This would benefit practicing doctors by keeping their wages high.
While I enjoyed reading the book, I liked Hayek's Road to Serfdom better.
Throughout the book Friedman raises some good questions. Even if you disagree with his conclusions, they are questions worth answering.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Frankenstein and his Monster
Yesterday I finished reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I liked it.
Images and ideas based upon this almost 200 year old book have steeped into culture so much I do not need to give a summary. It should be noted that Victor Frankenstein is the person who creates and enlivens the creature. The creation/monster is not named in the book.
I have a complaint about the book. A couple of Frankenstein's actions are not in character. I do not want to give away important details of the book (like the introduction and text notes of my edition did), but I will provide one example.
After Frankenstein finishes his creation and gives him life, he runs away from his creation. It is very hard for me to imagine a scientist running away from the success of his greatest experiment. Any scientist who cares about his work would be obsessed with observing and studying every detail of his great creation.
Reading the introduction of my Barnes and Noble classic edition, I was reminded of every reason why I do not like literary criticism. Almost any theory can be applied to anything. I had no idea this one novel had incestuous undertones and a man suffering from postpartum depression. The blurb on the back of the book only prepared me for a story that dealt with the nature of life, the place of humankind within the cosmos, and what responsibilities we have to each other. This summary drawing explains my feelings.
As if that was not enough, the introduction revealed critical details of the story that followed it. It takes a special kind of story killer to mention the book's final scene in the first paragraph of an introduction.
In defense of the introduction and story killing notes, they brought up a lot of interesting things. The biographical information about Shelley and what books she was influenced by illuminate many things. It seems she was surrounded by literary figures of the Romantic period.
There is one bias I must admit. Ever since I first heard about the Romantics in English class in high school I have been suspicious of them. After hearing my teacher Brother Aquinas talk about Romantic writers I thought equating them with important literary figures was a mistake.
Check out the original Frankenstein and his creation. The book is short at only 200 pages.
Images and ideas based upon this almost 200 year old book have steeped into culture so much I do not need to give a summary. It should be noted that Victor Frankenstein is the person who creates and enlivens the creature. The creation/monster is not named in the book.
I have a complaint about the book. A couple of Frankenstein's actions are not in character. I do not want to give away important details of the book (like the introduction and text notes of my edition did), but I will provide one example.
After Frankenstein finishes his creation and gives him life, he runs away from his creation. It is very hard for me to imagine a scientist running away from the success of his greatest experiment. Any scientist who cares about his work would be obsessed with observing and studying every detail of his great creation.
Reading the introduction of my Barnes and Noble classic edition, I was reminded of every reason why I do not like literary criticism. Almost any theory can be applied to anything. I had no idea this one novel had incestuous undertones and a man suffering from postpartum depression. The blurb on the back of the book only prepared me for a story that dealt with the nature of life, the place of humankind within the cosmos, and what responsibilities we have to each other. This summary drawing explains my feelings.
As if that was not enough, the introduction revealed critical details of the story that followed it. It takes a special kind of story killer to mention the book's final scene in the first paragraph of an introduction.
In defense of the introduction and story killing notes, they brought up a lot of interesting things. The biographical information about Shelley and what books she was influenced by illuminate many things. It seems she was surrounded by literary figures of the Romantic period.
There is one bias I must admit. Ever since I first heard about the Romantics in English class in high school I have been suspicious of them. After hearing my teacher Brother Aquinas talk about Romantic writers I thought equating them with important literary figures was a mistake.
Check out the original Frankenstein and his creation. The book is short at only 200 pages.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
One book on economics
I have been reading a few things about economics recently. I just finished Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt.
My favorite thing about the book is its format. It is a lot of small relatively self-contained chapters. Each one deals with a different topic and uses real world examples.
As Hazlitt writes in the first chapter:
Hazlitt explains how different groups of people band together and seek economic favors at the expense of everyone else. He then examines government subsides to farmers. While the subsides provide farmers with cash so they can do more farm related things, other people lose out. All of the taxpayers lost money they would have spent on other things so the farmers could get some extra cash. The subsidies did not create new business, they only transferred money from non-farmers to farmers.
One sad thing was how the book talked about a few billion dollars in government spending as if it was a lot of money. In the decades since the book was written only things in the hundreds of billions of dollars seem like a lot of money in government terms.
The book would be better titled Why the Government should stay out of Economics in One Lesson. For a few sections in the middle I was bored because I knew how the examples would be analyzed according to the earlier principles.
I would recommend you read the book. It was easy to read and talked through a lot of examples.
My favorite thing about the book is its format. It is a lot of small relatively self-contained chapters. Each one deals with a different topic and uses real world examples.
As Hazlitt writes in the first chapter:
The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.A broken window is then considered as an example of unseen effects. Imagine a vandal smashes a window. The first and obvious result is the building's owner will buy a new window. This means business and income for the window factory. Spectators might say the breaking of the window was good because of the business activity it created. However, it neglects what the window's owner would have done instead of replacing the window. If he was planning to spend the same amount of money that afternoon to buy a new suit, he will go without the new suit. Instead of the suit maker getting a sale, the window factory gets a sale that day. Nothing is created because of the broken window. However, casual spectators only see the new window and not the new suit that was never bought.
Hazlitt explains how different groups of people band together and seek economic favors at the expense of everyone else. He then examines government subsides to farmers. While the subsides provide farmers with cash so they can do more farm related things, other people lose out. All of the taxpayers lost money they would have spent on other things so the farmers could get some extra cash. The subsidies did not create new business, they only transferred money from non-farmers to farmers.
One sad thing was how the book talked about a few billion dollars in government spending as if it was a lot of money. In the decades since the book was written only things in the hundreds of billions of dollars seem like a lot of money in government terms.
The book would be better titled Why the Government should stay out of Economics in One Lesson. For a few sections in the middle I was bored because I knew how the examples would be analyzed according to the earlier principles.
I would recommend you read the book. It was easy to read and talked through a lot of examples.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Road to Serfdom
Last week I finished reading The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich A. Hayek. I enjoyed the book and how it explained its ideas.
Throughout the book Hayek makes the case why people should have the freedom to make their own choices in economic matters and the problems that arise when a government makes too many choices for its citizens. Hayek uses many examples when presenting his points. Since the book was published in 1944, the Nazi regime is used in many examples.
Hayek explains how a nation that starts planning its economy and directing who will produce what will slide into a totalitarian state. He wrote the book as a cautionary tale to nations. Hayek explains Germany followed a path of ideas that lead them to the Nazi regime. Any nation that follows a similar path of collectivism will arrive at a totalitarian outcome.
The biggest thing I took out of the book was the danger of the slippery slope. People with the best of intentions and goals will concentrate power in the government to use it for everyone's benefit. However, these noble people will eventually be supplanted by a political party that will use the machinery of government to crush people and impose their narrow ideology.
On the negative features of the book, the writing is verbose and has many unnecessary words. This could be a symptom of the book being more academic than most. There were too many qualifiers and adverbs. I wanted to pull out a red pen to cross out superfluous words and rephrase sentences into more understandable and flowing prose. However, the book is divided into chapters so by the time I got tired of reading a chapter would end. Finishing one chapter a day and summarizing what I read make it more understandable.
For the past week I have been trying to write a short summary of The Road to Serfdom I am happy with. My failure is part of the reason for the scarcity of posts lately. Luckily, the internet has come to my rescue. I found a pdf of a book compiled by the Institute of Economic Affairs. Starting on page 63 it summarizes the book in cartoons originally published in Look magazine. I suggest you check it out as it is more interesting than the rest of my post.
If you want more words, page 27 from the same link has some points Hayek wrote for the jacket of the first edition. I quoted a few of them below. I should mention socialism as used in Hayek's time was understood as government ownership of all industry.
When I finished the book I wanted to pick up another one in the same political and economic genre. However, I wanted it to be something I disagreed with. More on that in a few day.
If you want a political and economic book I recommend The Road to Serfdom.
Throughout the book Hayek makes the case why people should have the freedom to make their own choices in economic matters and the problems that arise when a government makes too many choices for its citizens. Hayek uses many examples when presenting his points. Since the book was published in 1944, the Nazi regime is used in many examples.
Hayek explains how a nation that starts planning its economy and directing who will produce what will slide into a totalitarian state. He wrote the book as a cautionary tale to nations. Hayek explains Germany followed a path of ideas that lead them to the Nazi regime. Any nation that follows a similar path of collectivism will arrive at a totalitarian outcome.
The biggest thing I took out of the book was the danger of the slippery slope. People with the best of intentions and goals will concentrate power in the government to use it for everyone's benefit. However, these noble people will eventually be supplanted by a political party that will use the machinery of government to crush people and impose their narrow ideology.
On the negative features of the book, the writing is verbose and has many unnecessary words. This could be a symptom of the book being more academic than most. There were too many qualifiers and adverbs. I wanted to pull out a red pen to cross out superfluous words and rephrase sentences into more understandable and flowing prose. However, the book is divided into chapters so by the time I got tired of reading a chapter would end. Finishing one chapter a day and summarizing what I read make it more understandable.
For the past week I have been trying to write a short summary of The Road to Serfdom I am happy with. My failure is part of the reason for the scarcity of posts lately. Luckily, the internet has come to my rescue. I found a pdf of a book compiled by the Institute of Economic Affairs. Starting on page 63 it summarizes the book in cartoons originally published in Look magazine. I suggest you check it out as it is more interesting than the rest of my post.
If you want more words, page 27 from the same link has some points Hayek wrote for the jacket of the first edition. I quoted a few of them below. I should mention socialism as used in Hayek's time was understood as government ownership of all industry.
- Is there a greater tragedy imaginable than that in our endeavour consciously to shape our future in accordance with high ideals we should in fact unwittingly produce the very opposite of what we have been striving for?
- Totalitarianism is the new word we have adopted to describe the unexpected but nevertheless inseparable manifestations of what in theory we call socialism.
- In a planned system we cannot confine collective action to the tasks on which we agree, but are forced to produce agreement on everything in order that any action can be taken at all.
- The economic freedom which is the prerequisite of any other freedom cannot be the freedom from economic care which the socialists promise us and which can be obtained only by relieving the individual at the same time of the necessity and of the power of choice: it must be the freedom of economic activity which, with the right of choice, inevitably also carries the risk and the responsibility of that right.
- What our generation has forgotten is that the system of private property is the most important guarantee of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those who do not.
- We shall never prevent the abuse of power if we are not prepared to limit power in a way which occasionally may prevent its use for desirable purposes.
When I finished the book I wanted to pick up another one in the same political and economic genre. However, I wanted it to be something I disagreed with. More on that in a few day.
If you want a political and economic book I recommend The Road to Serfdom.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Claudius the Man and Claudius the God
On Tuesday I finished the book Claudius the God by Robert Graves. This is the sequel to I, Claudius, which I finished last month. Both of these novels are historical fiction. They are written as the autobiography of the First Century AD Roman emperor Claudius. I liked reading both of them.
It should be mentioned, I have a lot of background knowledge of the Ancient Roman world. There is even documentary evidence of this hanging on my wall.
The book felt very authentic. If I was given the book and told it was actually written by Claudius himself I would have believed it. The details about the festivals, government structure, religious rites, battles, political intrigue, and character descriptions were exactly what I expected. The writing style was in line with other writers of the time and all of the allusions to Homer and mythic people were perfectly used.
I, Claudius is a history of the Roman Empire from its start under Augustus to the moment Claudius is acclaimed the fourth emperor. Picking up immediately after, Claudius the God covers Claudius's reign until right before his death. Claudius was a good emperor and when compared to the madness of his predecessor Caligula and successor Nero he looks even better.
I would recommend you take a few notes when reading to help keep all of the characters straight. Just a name and three or four words for each is all that is necessary. I already knew a few of the historical characters but I still lost track of who did what to whom. The books had a combined total of over 1,000 pages so there were a lot of people. Some of the characters and superfluous stories could be cut from both books without losing the spirit of the work.
I do not know very much about the historical Claudius. When I started reading the books I developed a very favorable view of him. This continued well into the second book. Then near the end my opinion of Claudius turned negative; he became complicit in everything terrible his successors had done.
It should be mentioned, I have a lot of background knowledge of the Ancient Roman world. There is even documentary evidence of this hanging on my wall.
The book felt very authentic. If I was given the book and told it was actually written by Claudius himself I would have believed it. The details about the festivals, government structure, religious rites, battles, political intrigue, and character descriptions were exactly what I expected. The writing style was in line with other writers of the time and all of the allusions to Homer and mythic people were perfectly used.
I, Claudius is a history of the Roman Empire from its start under Augustus to the moment Claudius is acclaimed the fourth emperor. Picking up immediately after, Claudius the God covers Claudius's reign until right before his death. Claudius was a good emperor and when compared to the madness of his predecessor Caligula and successor Nero he looks even better.
I would recommend you take a few notes when reading to help keep all of the characters straight. Just a name and three or four words for each is all that is necessary. I already knew a few of the historical characters but I still lost track of who did what to whom. The books had a combined total of over 1,000 pages so there were a lot of people. Some of the characters and superfluous stories could be cut from both books without losing the spirit of the work.
I do not know very much about the historical Claudius. When I started reading the books I developed a very favorable view of him. This continued well into the second book. Then near the end my opinion of Claudius turned negative; he became complicit in everything terrible his successors had done.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Secret Darkness of Conrad
Almost a year ago I started reading a book with two stores in it. Both of them were by Joseph Conrad.
The first story was "The Secret Sharer." I liked it so much, I went to the library the next day and checked out a book of Conrad's short stories. The collection published by Penguin included "Typhoon," "Amy Foster," "Falk: A Reminiscence," and "To-morrow."
For better or worse, I read those four stories and then let several months pass before thinking I should write comments about them here. I only have general impressions of what they were. I liked "Falk: A Reminiscence" the best of the Penguin book bunch. In sharp relief I can remember the setting, the characters, the mood, the action, and the emotions of it.
Last week I finally decided to pick up the original book again. I let myself put off reading it for so long because I knew the book would always be sitting on my shelf.
Heart of Darkness
As Conrad's most famous work, I expected it would be great. I would rate the book somewhere between good and great. Some of the conservations were hard for me to understand. A character would talk for a paragraph but I would not be sure which person of the two or three in the scene was the one speaking. Consequently, I had trouble figuring out who they were talking about and had to backtrack. Despite this, I would recommend you pick up the book.
When reading Heart of Darkness I was reminded of the movie Apocalypse Now. In both stories the protagonist is going up a river to find a guy named Kurtz. I will have to watch the movie again because I do not remember much from when I saw it eight years ago.
I also want to read Conrad's novel Lord Jim. It is supposed to have some similarities to Heart of Darkness. However, that might be a few months off. I want to read the textbook for the DSP class I just started. The first chapters of textbooks talk in generalities and are often a waste of time, but my lack of knowledge of electronic embedded systems makes it interesting.
The first story was "The Secret Sharer." I liked it so much, I went to the library the next day and checked out a book of Conrad's short stories. The collection published by Penguin included "Typhoon," "Amy Foster," "Falk: A Reminiscence," and "To-morrow."
For better or worse, I read those four stories and then let several months pass before thinking I should write comments about them here. I only have general impressions of what they were. I liked "Falk: A Reminiscence" the best of the Penguin book bunch. In sharp relief I can remember the setting, the characters, the mood, the action, and the emotions of it.
Last week I finally decided to pick up the original book again. I let myself put off reading it for so long because I knew the book would always be sitting on my shelf.
Heart of Darkness
As Conrad's most famous work, I expected it would be great. I would rate the book somewhere between good and great. Some of the conservations were hard for me to understand. A character would talk for a paragraph but I would not be sure which person of the two or three in the scene was the one speaking. Consequently, I had trouble figuring out who they were talking about and had to backtrack. Despite this, I would recommend you pick up the book.
When reading Heart of Darkness I was reminded of the movie Apocalypse Now. In both stories the protagonist is going up a river to find a guy named Kurtz. I will have to watch the movie again because I do not remember much from when I saw it eight years ago.
I also want to read Conrad's novel Lord Jim. It is supposed to have some similarities to Heart of Darkness. However, that might be a few months off. I want to read the textbook for the DSP class I just started. The first chapters of textbooks talk in generalities and are often a waste of time, but my lack of knowledge of electronic embedded systems makes it interesting.
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Conscience of a Conservative
Last week I completed reading The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater. This book lays out and applies principles of a limited government that puts maximizing freedom as its goal.
Even though the book was written over 50 years ago (in 1960), a lot of it is as relevant as if it were just written. The section on the Soviet Union might be dated, but the comments about America supporting people fighting for freedom from their governments' oppressive regimes is very timely.
On Education
As an example of the book's reasoning, I will summarize one of the chapters. Goldwater makes the case why there should be no federal involvement in education. He prefaces his comments by saying he thinks the problems in education involve quality and are not simply fixed by spending money. He then concedes that if the problem with education is quantitative, his main objections are:
Other Topics
There is also a chapter devoted to "Freedom for the Farmer." Goldwater attacks farm subsidies and how the government unreasonably controls what farmers can and cannot grow. I was reminded of the rules addressed in the farm section of Parliament of Whores and the confusion the federal government has about the programs it runs.
Other topics are covered, but it would be better if you checked out the book instead of me summarizing everything. The book is short, easy to read, and to the point. If you want to know why people vote for conservative politicians, some answers can be found in The Conscience of a Conservative.
Even though the book was written over 50 years ago (in 1960), a lot of it is as relevant as if it were just written. The section on the Soviet Union might be dated, but the comments about America supporting people fighting for freedom from their governments' oppressive regimes is very timely.
On Education
As an example of the book's reasoning, I will summarize one of the chapters. Goldwater makes the case why there should be no federal involvement in education. He prefaces his comments by saying he thinks the problems in education involve quality and are not simply fixed by spending money. He then concedes that if the problem with education is quantitative, his main objections are:
- Federal intervention in education is unconstitutional.
- The need for federal funds has not been demonstrated. It can be asked, does State X need more educational facilities? If yes, the next question is does State X need educational facilities that are beyond the reach of its finical means? States have wealth, but some of them chose to spend it on other priorities.
- Federal aid promotes the idea that federal money is "free" money and gives people a distorted picture of the cost of education. The federal government only distributes money that it originally taxed from people, minus the Washington brokerage fee.
- Federal aid to education inevitably means federal control of education.
Other Topics
There is also a chapter devoted to "Freedom for the Farmer." Goldwater attacks farm subsidies and how the government unreasonably controls what farmers can and cannot grow. I was reminded of the rules addressed in the farm section of Parliament of Whores and the confusion the federal government has about the programs it runs.
Other topics are covered, but it would be better if you checked out the book instead of me summarizing everything. The book is short, easy to read, and to the point. If you want to know why people vote for conservative politicians, some answers can be found in The Conscience of a Conservative.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Billy Budd and a Piazza
I keep a record of what books I read and when I read them. From this I know from September 7th-10th of last year I read Billy Budd (An inside narrative) by Herman Melville. This novella talked about a young sailor who is impressed into service on a British warship. The book has a lot of references to naval history and nautical terms. It is good I spent a lot of time watching the History Channel a long time ago. Otherwise I would not have known what was meant by the star on the deck of the Victory.
The used copy I have has some lines underlined and comments written in the margins. I tried to ignore them for the most part, but it ended up pointing out things I wanted to discover for myself. The story can be read allegorically and I wish I could have developed my own theories of the story free from influence. If you follow the link below to the Unnamed Geniuses only the first two paragraphs on their site are safe to read before reading the story.
Billy Budd's Journey
How Billy Budd got published is a story in itself. It was written in Melville's twilight years and still only a manuscript at his death in 1891. The work was published in 1924, when it was uncovered by Raymond Weaver while researching Melville. Since it was not a finished work, many versions with small differences have worked their way to publication. Apparently I have a version that had been deemed less than perfect. The ship in my copy is called the Indomitable, not the Bellipotent. Despite my version, I liked the story and would recommend it.
My Signet Classic edition is titled Billy Budd and Other Tales and also includes a set of short stories as well as The Town-Ho's Story (chapter 54 from Moby-Dick).
The Piazza Tales
The second part of the book is a collection of stories that were published under the title The Piazza Tales. I have a few words about each of them.
When I read Melville affects how much I like it. Compared to other authors, the writing is harder to follow and the sentences can be choppy instead of flowing.
When I read the short stories during the day I could easily keep reading them. In contrast, reading at night when I was tired felt like a struggle. I was easily distracted from the plot by asides or awkward phrasing. Since I read "The Piazza" during the night, I might have an unfounded negative opinion of it.
If you pick up these Melville stories, I recommend you start with the Bs Billy Budd, "Bartleby," and "Benito Cereno."
The used copy I have has some lines underlined and comments written in the margins. I tried to ignore them for the most part, but it ended up pointing out things I wanted to discover for myself. The story can be read allegorically and I wish I could have developed my own theories of the story free from influence. If you follow the link below to the Unnamed Geniuses only the first two paragraphs on their site are safe to read before reading the story.
Billy Budd's Journey
How Billy Budd got published is a story in itself. It was written in Melville's twilight years and still only a manuscript at his death in 1891. The work was published in 1924, when it was uncovered by Raymond Weaver while researching Melville. Since it was not a finished work, many versions with small differences have worked their way to publication. Apparently I have a version that had been deemed less than perfect. The ship in my copy is called the Indomitable, not the Bellipotent. Despite my version, I liked the story and would recommend it.
My Signet Classic edition is titled Billy Budd and Other Tales and also includes a set of short stories as well as The Town-Ho's Story (chapter 54 from Moby-Dick).
The Piazza Tales
The second part of the book is a collection of stories that were published under the title The Piazza Tales. I have a few words about each of them.
- "The Piazza"- The worst of this story bunch.
- "Bartleby"- A good story about what happens when a person "prefers not" to.
- "Benito Cereno"- This good story starts when a captain boards a haggard ship. What happens next should not be missed.
- "The Lightening-Rod Man"- Lightening-rod salesmen must have been the Nineteenth Century's equivalent of the Twentieth Century's vacuum salesmen.
- "The Encantadas or Enchanted Isles"- A series of ten sketches focused on a group of islands. Overall, the collection was OK but not as good as "Bartleby" and "Benito Cereno." I liked the sixth through ninth sketches because they told specific stories about people instead of waxing poetic about the isles themselves or their aspects. The Enchanted Isles spoken of are better known as the Galápagos Islands.
- "The Bell-Tower"- Some guy builds a bell-tower in Italy. I had to reread a few parts of it and still think I missed something relevant.
When I read Melville affects how much I like it. Compared to other authors, the writing is harder to follow and the sentences can be choppy instead of flowing.
When I read the short stories during the day I could easily keep reading them. In contrast, reading at night when I was tired felt like a struggle. I was easily distracted from the plot by asides or awkward phrasing. Since I read "The Piazza" during the night, I might have an unfounded negative opinion of it.
If you pick up these Melville stories, I recommend you start with the Bs Billy Budd, "Bartleby," and "Benito Cereno."
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Seneca, the Stoics, and a Coffee Ring
I recently finished Letters from a Stoic, a collection of letters written by Seneca, a Roman of the first century AD. The Latin title is Epistulae morales ad Lucilium which means moral letters to Lucilius. In all there are 124 letters in the collection, but my Penguin Classics edition does not have all of them.
These letters are some of the best extant examples of Stoicism and its way of thinking. My one line summary of Stoicism is happily accept what fortune gives you and be in control of your emotions. The letters are practical advice on how to implement this philosophy in daily life.
I started this book sometime in the middle of last year. The letter format makes it easy to read in little parts. However, that also reduces my drive to finish the book. Since there is no larger structure, there is no need for me to remember the beginning of the book when I get to the end.
Some of the letters are great while a few are less interesting. If I had planned ahead I would have a list of a few good letters for you to check out. The only one I remember anything specific about is Letter XC. Even then I only remember wanted to argue with it.
I do not know as much about Greek and Roman philosophy as I think I should. Reading this is part of my program to fix that. This is the second of three Stoic works I plan on reading. I already read Marcus Aurelius's Meditations and next I will be reading Epictetus's Enchiridion. If you want a suggestion, I recommend you pick up Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. Like all the important works from Ancient Greece and Rome, it is available online.
Now for something different and non-Stoic. I have a recipe to share.
Italian Coffee Ring
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup milk
chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins (optional)
Cream the margarine and sugar. This involves waiting until the margarine is soft and mixing it thoroughly with the sugar. After this add the rest of the ingredients and mix some more. For the last item I usually add chocolate chips. I add around a cup, but put in however many you think look good.
On a greased cookie sheet, spoon the dough into two long logs. If desired, you can make one ring instead. Bake at 375 for 15 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
After it cools add frosting and cover with jimmies. I would furnish a picture, but these did not stay around the house very long.
These letters are some of the best extant examples of Stoicism and its way of thinking. My one line summary of Stoicism is happily accept what fortune gives you and be in control of your emotions. The letters are practical advice on how to implement this philosophy in daily life.
I started this book sometime in the middle of last year. The letter format makes it easy to read in little parts. However, that also reduces my drive to finish the book. Since there is no larger structure, there is no need for me to remember the beginning of the book when I get to the end.
Some of the letters are great while a few are less interesting. If I had planned ahead I would have a list of a few good letters for you to check out. The only one I remember anything specific about is Letter XC. Even then I only remember wanted to argue with it.
I do not know as much about Greek and Roman philosophy as I think I should. Reading this is part of my program to fix that. This is the second of three Stoic works I plan on reading. I already read Marcus Aurelius's Meditations and next I will be reading Epictetus's Enchiridion. If you want a suggestion, I recommend you pick up Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. Like all the important works from Ancient Greece and Rome, it is available online.
Now for something different and non-Stoic. I have a recipe to share.
Italian Coffee Ring
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup milk
chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins (optional)
Cream the margarine and sugar. This involves waiting until the margarine is soft and mixing it thoroughly with the sugar. After this add the rest of the ingredients and mix some more. For the last item I usually add chocolate chips. I add around a cup, but put in however many you think look good.
On a greased cookie sheet, spoon the dough into two long logs. If desired, you can make one ring instead. Bake at 375 for 15 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
After it cools add frosting and cover with jimmies. I would furnish a picture, but these did not stay around the house very long.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wonderful Wonderland and Annoying Alice
I have two books to talk about. The first is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the second is Through the Looking-Glass. Both of them are by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson who published them under the name Lewis Carroll. I read them in an edition called The Annotated Alice which had a lot of notes and interesting comments. The edition also has the original drawings from the first publication of the book.
When I started reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland I was disappointed. I had no patience for Alice and the story was uninspiring. However, the book cleaned itself up and by the end I was liking it.
For the sequel Through the Looking-Glass, the actions of Alice and the characters she meets are represented as if she is in a chess game. The opening of the book has a chess board and a list of moves which match up with when Alice meets characters such as the Red Queen or the White Knight in the story.
While some of the nonsense in the books was whimsical and enjoyable, much of it came across as annoying and pedantic. I was reminded of someone I know who often criticized my language. He would apply the standards of formal logic to what I said in everyday situations. He dissected my words and phrases to the point where I did not want to say anything to him. A lot of the characters in the story have the same problem. They think they are smart or funny by taking what someone says literally, but they are really a bunch of jerks.
The story has a lot of poems or songs in it that are parodies of well known children's rhymes of the time. Since these are not familiar to today's readers they lose their creativity and meaning. It was only through the copious annotations I learned about them.
I would say the weaknesses and strengths cancel each other in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book nets to neutral. Through the Looking-Glass was better, but I would not recommend either of them. Maybe if I read them when I was younger I would have liked them more.
Wonderland is a great place to explore and has a good cast of characters to build a story. I think derivative works could be better and more interesting than the book.
When I started reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland I was disappointed. I had no patience for Alice and the story was uninspiring. However, the book cleaned itself up and by the end I was liking it.
For the sequel Through the Looking-Glass, the actions of Alice and the characters she meets are represented as if she is in a chess game. The opening of the book has a chess board and a list of moves which match up with when Alice meets characters such as the Red Queen or the White Knight in the story.
While some of the nonsense in the books was whimsical and enjoyable, much of it came across as annoying and pedantic. I was reminded of someone I know who often criticized my language. He would apply the standards of formal logic to what I said in everyday situations. He dissected my words and phrases to the point where I did not want to say anything to him. A lot of the characters in the story have the same problem. They think they are smart or funny by taking what someone says literally, but they are really a bunch of jerks.
The story has a lot of poems or songs in it that are parodies of well known children's rhymes of the time. Since these are not familiar to today's readers they lose their creativity and meaning. It was only through the copious annotations I learned about them.
I would say the weaknesses and strengths cancel each other in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book nets to neutral. Through the Looking-Glass was better, but I would not recommend either of them. Maybe if I read them when I was younger I would have liked them more.
Wonderland is a great place to explore and has a good cast of characters to build a story. I think derivative works could be better and more interesting than the book.
Monday, January 24, 2011
A laughing matter we pay for
I just finished the book Parliament of Whores by P.J. O'Rourke. The book is best explained by it's subtitle: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government.
I first heard about this book in high school when my AP Government teacher gave everyone a section of it to read. The book was published in 1991. The best way I can describe the book is funny, relevant, and sad. I laughed out loud many times reading it. The book talks about how government actually works or at least how it spends money but does not work.
To illustrate O'Rourke's humor, here are a few of the section titles:
"Why God Is a Republican and Santa Claus Is a Democrat"
"The three branches of Government: Money, Television, and Bullshit"
"Would You Kill Your Mother to Pave I-95?"
"Our Government: What the Fuck do They do and Why Does it Cost so Goddamned Much Money?"
The last one is a really good question. On my last trip to Washington D.C. I saw the Department of Education building but I did not see any evidence of children being educated on the premises. I did park in front of the Internal Revenue Service building where all our money goes but the only thing I saw it being spent on were traffic officers who would ticket cars that parked in front of the building after 4 PM.
Even though the book is 20 years old, some of the passages are still valid nearly word for word. In one section he talks about environmentalists and their complaints against President George Bush (George Bush Sr. that is). If a W. were added to the passage it would describe complaints against him a decade later. We also learn Senator Joseph Biden was a source of comic material even 20 years ago.
Sad and Relevant
Unfortunately the relevant and sad parts of the book often go together. There is a chapter talking about the Savings and Loan Crisis of the late eighties. There are a few parallels between that and the subprime mortgage mess of a few years ago. Both times taxpayers spent hundreds of billions bailing out bank managers and investors who made reckless decisions.
While O'Rourke's suggestions are often comic hyperbole, sometimes they sound like sensible policy. In one chapter he talks about farm policy. He cites programs that were established decades ago and asks if they are needed today or were even needed decades ago. Some programs pay farmers to help them farm while other programs from a different agency give people money to buy food because it is so expensive. While this is bad, I suppose it is better than paying farmers not to farm, which is a different program.
O'Rourke also does some math and has a few interesting conclusions. He asserts for all the money spent on aid to sheep to help domestic production of wool they could be sending all those sheep to Swiss boarding schools.
If you are a follower of government, I think you will enjoy the book. As said in the Preface, the book is written from a conservative point of view, since conservatism favors the restraint of government.
I would tell you more of his ideas, but then you might get mad at me and write comments condemning the ideas and me. Instead I will tell you to read the book and then you can write angry letters to O'Rourke instead. I am sure the Postal Service needs all the money it can get.
I will leave you with a comment from the Preface that sums up the book nicely. "I'm not sure I learned anything except that giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."
I first heard about this book in high school when my AP Government teacher gave everyone a section of it to read. The book was published in 1991. The best way I can describe the book is funny, relevant, and sad. I laughed out loud many times reading it. The book talks about how government actually works or at least how it spends money but does not work.
To illustrate O'Rourke's humor, here are a few of the section titles:
"Why God Is a Republican and Santa Claus Is a Democrat"
"The three branches of Government: Money, Television, and Bullshit"
"Would You Kill Your Mother to Pave I-95?"
"Our Government: What the Fuck do They do and Why Does it Cost so Goddamned Much Money?"
The last one is a really good question. On my last trip to Washington D.C. I saw the Department of Education building but I did not see any evidence of children being educated on the premises. I did park in front of the Internal Revenue Service building where all our money goes but the only thing I saw it being spent on were traffic officers who would ticket cars that parked in front of the building after 4 PM.
Even though the book is 20 years old, some of the passages are still valid nearly word for word. In one section he talks about environmentalists and their complaints against President George Bush (George Bush Sr. that is). If a W. were added to the passage it would describe complaints against him a decade later. We also learn Senator Joseph Biden was a source of comic material even 20 years ago.
Sad and Relevant
Unfortunately the relevant and sad parts of the book often go together. There is a chapter talking about the Savings and Loan Crisis of the late eighties. There are a few parallels between that and the subprime mortgage mess of a few years ago. Both times taxpayers spent hundreds of billions bailing out bank managers and investors who made reckless decisions.
While O'Rourke's suggestions are often comic hyperbole, sometimes they sound like sensible policy. In one chapter he talks about farm policy. He cites programs that were established decades ago and asks if they are needed today or were even needed decades ago. Some programs pay farmers to help them farm while other programs from a different agency give people money to buy food because it is so expensive. While this is bad, I suppose it is better than paying farmers not to farm, which is a different program.
O'Rourke also does some math and has a few interesting conclusions. He asserts for all the money spent on aid to sheep to help domestic production of wool they could be sending all those sheep to Swiss boarding schools.
If you are a follower of government, I think you will enjoy the book. As said in the Preface, the book is written from a conservative point of view, since conservatism favors the restraint of government.
I would tell you more of his ideas, but then you might get mad at me and write comments condemning the ideas and me. Instead I will tell you to read the book and then you can write angry letters to O'Rourke instead. I am sure the Postal Service needs all the money it can get.
I will leave you with a comment from the Preface that sums up the book nicely. "I'm not sure I learned anything except that giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."
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