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akujunkanI spent most of the past week sleeping, working, and reading manga, which is why I only have these three books to talk about.
1) The Red Thread - Nicholas Jose
The Red Thread is a modern day retelling of Six Chapters Of A Floating Life, which is perhaps my favorite memoir from pre-modern China. Jose's narrative does an excellent job of evoking the atmosphere and style of its inspiration--indeed the excerpts from Floating Life (which appear throughout the novel in red text)--don't seem at all out of place. His descriptions of modern China in general, and Shanghai in particular, were also spot on and made me quite nostalgic, and his reinterpretation of Shen Fu's world dovetails perfectly into believable 21st century scenarios. The characters themselves might seem flat to the sensibilities of anyone accustomed to contemporary novels, but one has to remember that they aren't meant to be 21st century characters at all, but rather reincarnations of personalities from Fu's Qing-dynasty China. The ending does require a bit of credulity (books with magical realism often do), but overall, I found the read to be quite satisfying.
2) What's The Matter With Kansas? - Frank Rich
This phenomenal book explores how Republican party leaders and big business have conspired to equate conservatism with stands on cultural, not fiscal, issues. Rich's writing is solid, yet surprisingly free of any sweeping value judgments: he lets the facts speak for themselves. He also shows how conservatism is a dead end road, and moreover, how it was intended to be such from the get-go--the best way to keep people energised and supportive is by working them up over issues on which they will never be able to definitively declare victory. Kansas is an interesting and thought-provoking read from start to finish, which is why I highly recommend that you read it, too.
3) Watchdogs Of Democracy? - Helen Thomas
Watchdogs Of Democracy? bears the unfortunate subtitle The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public. I say unfortunate because this subtitle has precious little to do with the book itself. From recounting the history of US print and media journalism from the 19th century to the present and giving brief biographical sketches of current and former presidents, White House spokesmen, fellow journalists and media personalities, to explaining the history of media ownership and the ethical reprecussions of Judith Miller's imprisonment and why blogs are not a good source of news, Thomas spends the majority of her time doing just about anything but dealing with how the U.S. news media has spent the past six years being George Bush's girlfriend. Nevertheless, she is quick to assure readers that she wasn't taken in...although I wonder why I have no memories of her dissenting at the time. The above factors, combined with the terrible quality of the paper (grocery bags have finer grain and more polish than the pages of Watchdogs, and I was reading the hardcover edition) lead me to believe that this book was hammered out as a quick cash cow. It's not terrible, but I recommend avoiding it unless you're really strapped for something to read.
SBS: I traded a bunch of old books in at Bishop's the other day, so I'm up to 130 this week.
That will be all.
1) The Red Thread - Nicholas Jose
The Red Thread is a modern day retelling of Six Chapters Of A Floating Life, which is perhaps my favorite memoir from pre-modern China. Jose's narrative does an excellent job of evoking the atmosphere and style of its inspiration--indeed the excerpts from Floating Life (which appear throughout the novel in red text)--don't seem at all out of place. His descriptions of modern China in general, and Shanghai in particular, were also spot on and made me quite nostalgic, and his reinterpretation of Shen Fu's world dovetails perfectly into believable 21st century scenarios. The characters themselves might seem flat to the sensibilities of anyone accustomed to contemporary novels, but one has to remember that they aren't meant to be 21st century characters at all, but rather reincarnations of personalities from Fu's Qing-dynasty China. The ending does require a bit of credulity (books with magical realism often do), but overall, I found the read to be quite satisfying.
2) What's The Matter With Kansas? - Frank Rich
This phenomenal book explores how Republican party leaders and big business have conspired to equate conservatism with stands on cultural, not fiscal, issues. Rich's writing is solid, yet surprisingly free of any sweeping value judgments: he lets the facts speak for themselves. He also shows how conservatism is a dead end road, and moreover, how it was intended to be such from the get-go--the best way to keep people energised and supportive is by working them up over issues on which they will never be able to definitively declare victory. Kansas is an interesting and thought-provoking read from start to finish, which is why I highly recommend that you read it, too.
3) Watchdogs Of Democracy? - Helen Thomas
Watchdogs Of Democracy? bears the unfortunate subtitle The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public. I say unfortunate because this subtitle has precious little to do with the book itself. From recounting the history of US print and media journalism from the 19th century to the present and giving brief biographical sketches of current and former presidents, White House spokesmen, fellow journalists and media personalities, to explaining the history of media ownership and the ethical reprecussions of Judith Miller's imprisonment and why blogs are not a good source of news, Thomas spends the majority of her time doing just about anything but dealing with how the U.S. news media has spent the past six years being George Bush's girlfriend. Nevertheless, she is quick to assure readers that she wasn't taken in...although I wonder why I have no memories of her dissenting at the time. The above factors, combined with the terrible quality of the paper (grocery bags have finer grain and more polish than the pages of Watchdogs, and I was reading the hardcover edition) lead me to believe that this book was hammered out as a quick cash cow. It's not terrible, but I recommend avoiding it unless you're really strapped for something to read.
SBS: I traded a bunch of old books in at Bishop's the other day, so I'm up to 130 this week.
That will be all.