TWIB-II 34
Jun. 2nd, 2008 01:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akujunkanOnly two English-language books this week, because I spent most of it reading every volume of Saiyuki available in the house, after which I started in on some other random manga. (Feel free to blame ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
metal_dog5 and fragilistikal for this, if you like.) But at any rate here's this weeks English reading:
1) The Case for Impeachment - Dave Lindorff & Barbara Olshansky
The Case for Impeachment is well written, but at just over a year old, it's already outdated, which says something about the credibility--some might say criminality--of the current administration.
Which isn't to say that this book is no longer worth reading; quite the contrary. It is a clear and concisely-written explanation of the mechanics of impeachment and indeed, American government in general, as well as the thoughts and rationale of the founding fathers concerning these issues.
It also functions nicely as a sort of Cliffs' Notes for the lies and obfuscations of the Bush II presidency, pre-2007. Lindorff and Olshansky generally avoid falling into a Michael Moore-esque tone, favoring instead an objective, rational examination of their subject, which lends much credibility to their arguments.
The Case for Impeachment is a good option for anyone looking to better understand the reasons for and rationale behind the impeachment process in general, and how it could be applied to the actions of the current administration in particular.
2) Facts About Korea - NA
This volume was a breath of fresh air after my last adventure with English-language Korean publishing. True, there are a few typos, misspellings, and weird sentence constructions, but nothing outstripping anything I've seen in recent ARCs (and how sad is that?).
Facts About Korea gives a pretty balanced introduction to Korea, both across disciplines (culture, economy, government) and time periods. Yes, there's a lot that's being dressed up that might not be obvious to anyone for whom this is a first encounter with the ROK, but it was surprisingly low-key (with Tokto propaganda thankfully kept to a bare minimum); most of the information was not only credible and objective, but relatively current as well. Final verdict: readers looking for a good introduction to South Korea could do a lot worse than this volume!
Incidentally, I've read 57 books thus far this year. That's almost ten a month! If you'd like to see what other LTers are reading, click here.
That will be all.
metal_dog5 and fragilistikal for this, if you like.) But at any rate here's this weeks English reading:1) The Case for Impeachment - Dave Lindorff & Barbara Olshansky
The Case for Impeachment is well written, but at just over a year old, it's already outdated, which says something about the credibility--some might say criminality--of the current administration.
Which isn't to say that this book is no longer worth reading; quite the contrary. It is a clear and concisely-written explanation of the mechanics of impeachment and indeed, American government in general, as well as the thoughts and rationale of the founding fathers concerning these issues.
It also functions nicely as a sort of Cliffs' Notes for the lies and obfuscations of the Bush II presidency, pre-2007. Lindorff and Olshansky generally avoid falling into a Michael Moore-esque tone, favoring instead an objective, rational examination of their subject, which lends much credibility to their arguments.
The Case for Impeachment is a good option for anyone looking to better understand the reasons for and rationale behind the impeachment process in general, and how it could be applied to the actions of the current administration in particular.
2) Facts About Korea - NA
This volume was a breath of fresh air after my last adventure with English-language Korean publishing. True, there are a few typos, misspellings, and weird sentence constructions, but nothing outstripping anything I've seen in recent ARCs (and how sad is that?).
Facts About Korea gives a pretty balanced introduction to Korea, both across disciplines (culture, economy, government) and time periods. Yes, there's a lot that's being dressed up that might not be obvious to anyone for whom this is a first encounter with the ROK, but it was surprisingly low-key (with Tokto propaganda thankfully kept to a bare minimum); most of the information was not only credible and objective, but relatively current as well. Final verdict: readers looking for a good introduction to South Korea could do a lot worse than this volume!
Incidentally, I've read 57 books thus far this year. That's almost ten a month! If you'd like to see what other LTers are reading, click here.
That will be all.
no subject
on 2008-06-05 03:39 am (UTC)a little bit off topic, but i read this and thought of you. shaz