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A reader's reviews
| My Reviews - Page 1 of 2 |
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A reader posted a review at 2008-11-19 03:45:26 for Thomas Paine and the Promise of America.
(Language: English)
 
Riveting book chronicling the often overlooked historical influence of Thomas Paine, the man who inspired America--and the world--to demand and embrace our human rights.
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A reader posted a review at 2008-07-29 04:19:11 for Oil!.
(Language: English)
Epic in scope. Rich characters and a wonderful introduction to socialist perspective in early American history. Very long but SO worth the read.
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A reader posted a review at 2008-07-17 03:52:20 for The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power.
(Language: English)
Mind-blowing in its implications for what many of us thought was OUR democracy, however tenuous that might have been. Jeff Sharlet's impeccable research is extremely sobering in its analysis of a movement underneath our noses for centuries, but cloaked in the guise of anti-Communism and freedom around the world. The first book I've ever read leaving me with a feeling of despair because I don't see how to extract this cancer on our Republic. Just as Naomi Klein's modern classic The Shock Doctrine erased any naive notion I had concerning the myth of the "free market", Mr. Sharlet's book forces you to toss everything you may have naively thought out the window about our nation's shaky affair with fundamentalism and that movement's influence on our history. Perhaps the one uplifting notion that I carried away from reading this book is that it will take people from all different creeds and backgrounds working together to counteract this dangerous elite fundamentalism.
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A reader posted a review at 2008-04-29 22:18:46 for Stone: The Controversies, Excesses, and Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker.
(Language: English)
I once worked for a producer who noticed my strong interest in all things Stone. This was before I ever got my hands on a biography of the man. And she raised her eyebrows and said: "Be careful. That man is crazy and I've heard some awful things about him." She was right, as James Riordan's book confirms. But she was wrong too, because he's one of the most extraordinary people you're likely to come across. Read this book if you want to learn about this frustratingly complicated individual--and about persistence against all odds.
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A reader posted a review at 2008-04-29 22:11:45 for The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War.
(Language: English)
A thoroughly researched and very dispassionate investigation into the machinery of the Christian Right in America today. While not as passionate and moving as Chris Hedges phenomenal American Fascists, a must read nonetheless.
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A reader posted a review at 2008-04-29 22:06:45 for War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning.
(Language: English)
Written by one of the greatest intellectuals of our time--and finally getting the attention he deserves--this book is a meditation on the reality of war--stripping it of its contrived nationalism, its stifling of opposing viewpoints, its sometimes fabricated heroism. It talks about war as most civilians on the receiving end of the bombs--as well as the men and women on the ground doing the bombing--know it to be--a pathetic myth, cushioning our minds from the true horror of it. And who better (besides soldiers of course) to tell us of these realities than a man who's spent a good portion of his professional life covering wars from El Salvador to Iraq?
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A reader posted a review at 2008-04-29 21:59:45 for Freakonomics.
(Language: English)
Fascinating and quirky. A quick read too that will make ya scratch your head and wonder aloud: "Really? I never knew that..."
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A reader posted a review at 2008-04-29 21:27:37 for The Path of the Human Being: Zen Teachings on the Bodhisattva Way.
(Language: English)
An excellent guide to understanding Western Buddhism, or Zen as it's also called. It changed my life by teaching me how to look at my mind in a whole new light--by rejecting duality (good vs. evil, black vs. white, as poor examples) and following the Middle Path. In essence, the Middle Path tells us that reality is much more complicated than our dualistic minds often suggest, and by learning to embrace rather than push away the negative in our lives, we learn to cope better and in so doing, alleviate suffering as best we can, doing so for others too.
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A reader posted a review at 2008-04-29 21:14:04 for 9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA, Fourth Edition.
(Language: English)
Tarpley's book opened my eyes to the existence of false-flag terrorism carried out by governments across the world--possibly including ours. At times hyperbolic and pushing the boundaries of detatched commentator, these faults are quickly overcome by impeccable historical research. A must-read for all Americans.
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A reader posted a review at 2008-04-29 21:10:56 for LORD OF THE FLIES.
(Language: English)
Chilling and razor sharp.
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| My Reviews - Page 1 of 2 |