All Consuming : Stacey

Biblical politics - neither Republican nor Democrat (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 01:07:10 GMT

God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It

by Jim Wallis

God’s Politics, written just after the 2004 presidential elections, takes the prophets of the Old Testament and applies their lessons to modern day politics. What do Isaiah, Micah, Amos, and the other prophets of the Bible have to say about economics, foreign policy, national security, and all of the other pressing issues of the day? This book is an excellent read for anyone seeking to truly ground their politics in Abrahamic religion (and not just in the same way as the Religious Right invokes God in everything they do). It is also a great read for any politico interested in the role of religion in American politics today, any religious person of an Abrahamic faith (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) who follows politics, or any religious person who feels that their religion has been hijacked and distorted by politicians both left and right.

Up until the end, I only had a very minor criticism of the book. I thought that Rev. Wallis oversimplified some of the economic issues. That’s a very minor complaint – Rev. Wallis is a pastor, not an economist, I don’t expect perfection on every economic suggestion he makes. There are other books for such things. Then at the end of the book, Rev. Wallis writes a list of “things we can hope for” for the future. One of those things was about the Catholic Church. Besides the fact that I completely disagreed with his statement on a theological level, it had NOTHING to do with the rest of his book at all. Nothing whatsoever. The issue he mentioned wasn’t even referenced in a passing manner in the entire rest of the book. Nor was it primarily an issue of American politics. It was completely irrelevant to the whole book. Completely unnecessary, as well as theologically shaky, at best. If it weren’t for that one sentence, this book would be getting five stars.

But one sentence I took issue with isn’t enough for me not to recommend this book. If you fall into any of the categories I list in my first paragraph, you should definitely read this book.

A story about "Don Quixote"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 02:05:11 GMT

Don Quixote

by Miguel De Cervantes

Read this in little bits and pieces at work, since it was the only book worth reading on the office bookshelf. Now I’m done with it, and, conveniently, I’m quitting tomorrow. Stayed just long enough.

I was amused. Funny book. The version I read had pictures (some of them were even in color!). I like how it can still be funny even centuries after it was written. Of course, every time I picked up the book, I either started having visions of Wishbone running after Don Quixote battling the windmills, or my mind’s resident Broadway cast started up with “To Dream the Impossible Dream”. Fun times.

Anyways, good book, easy read, recommended.

A story about "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 16:28:55 GMT

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

by Bill Bryson

Wish I could write like Bill Bryson.

Great book. Highly recommended to just about everybody. I would love to hike the Appalachian Trail (so far, I’ve done maybe 2 miles of the trail somewhere in Virginia), but until I get myself in shape and am prepared to remove myself from the world for about 5 months, I’ll be content with Bryson’s account of the trip. There are some beautiful descriptions of the trail and the beauty of the American woods between Georgia and Maine, bits of trial humor, anecdotes about runins with other hikers, tiny towns along the way, and fuzzy critters of various sizes.

One thing I really like about Bryson’s writing is that he slips in a whole lot of informational/educational stuff almost unnoticed. A Walk in the Woods gives you history of the AT, the parks service, various small towns, American environmentalism, the state and health of the woods, the Army Corps of Engineers, all sorts of stuff. There were several parts that seriously depressed the tree-hugging environmentalist in me: stories of the incompetence of those charged with the care of the Trail and American Woodlands, stories of the disappearance of various species of flora and fauna, such as the American Chestut, from the woods…but overall a good happy story.

A story about "How to Dress for Every Occasion by the Pope"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 03:32:07 GMT

How to Dress for Every Occasion by the Pope

by Daniel Handler

This book is HILARIOUS. One of my friends picked it up as part of a gift package the two of us are putting together. The illustrations are great. Plus, not only is the book hilariously funny, it’s useful too! Tips include how to choose embroidery for your robes (totally depends on the social situation), types of fancy shoes to look for (you really have to go for the shoes with curly toes), the necessity of having a fancy stick (it makes people think you have authority) and a big hat (pointy hats are best), and how to choose a shade of red for your Christmas outfits (make sure you don’t clash with the poinsettias!). This book would make a great gag gift – just make sure it’s going to someone who will appreciate its humor.

Underwhelming. (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 20:53:07 GMT

The Poe Shadow

by Matthew Pearl

The Poe Shadow, Matthew Pearl’s second novel after The Dante Club, builds a story around the mystery surrounding the death of Edgar Allen Poe. The circumstances surrounding Poe’s death have never been fully explained, though many have tried over the years. In The Poe Shadow, the hero of the story, one Quentin Clark, an admirer and correspondant of Poe, takes it upon himself to investigate the writer’s death and restore his good name and reputation after he is witness to the tiny, anonymous funeral Poe is given and the subsequent slander of his name and writing talents by the press. From Baltimore to Washington to Paris, Clark searches out people close to Poe and those who were witness to events in his final days. Pearl bases many of these characters on his research of real people involved in the mystery and keeps their names unchanged. Clark enlists the help of a Parisian detective whom he believes to be the inspiration for a detective character in many of Poe’s stories, along the way accidently involving in the investigation another Parisian detective out to restore his own good name through his triumphant resolution of the mysterious circumstances surrounding Poe’s death. The investigation continues as a battle between the respective detectives for the “truth” as obsession with restoring Poe’s good name takes over Clark’s life, threatening both his career as a lawyer, his engagement, and his family’s opinions of his sanity.

I enjoyed The Dante Club more. Not really a bad book, but The Dante Club left me with high expectations for Pearl’s next book, and Shadow was disappointing. I was, to borrow a word from a good friend, underwhelmed.

A story about "The Courage to Be Catholic: Crisis, Reform, and the Future of the Church"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 18:34:16 GMT

The Courage to Be Catholic: Crisis, Reform, and the Future of the Church

by George Weigel

Courage To Be Catholic is a thorough analysis and commentary on the scandal of 2002 when reports of sexual misconduct and abuse by Catholic clergy dominated the media. Weigel, a prominent Catholic author, analyzes the historical and cultural roots of the “crisis”, which cannot be limited simply to a media eager to discredit American bishops or to Catholic teachings on clerical celibacy, and then offers ideas for turning the crisis into an opportunity for a true renewal of the Church and the Catholic faith. Though the news reports are no longer dominated by stories of newly discovered instances of clerical sexual abuse, the book is still well worth reading, as the many issues involved in the crisis have yet to be adequately addressed. The book is honest and straightforward; Weigel does not attempt to downplay or direct attention away from the Church’s many weaknesses and failings that led to the scandal. However, it is also filled with a deep optimism and faith in the truth and beauty of Catholicism and the ability of both American Catholics and the worldwide Church to emerge from this scandal with a renewed and strengthened faith. This book should be on the reading list of every American Catholic, especially those who found their faith shaken and their spirit discouraged by the scandals that have rocked our Church.

A story about "Making Terrorism History"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 17:43:13 GMT

Making Terrorism History

by Scilla Elsworthy

A very well-written and well-presented case for alternative methods to combatting terrorism based on nonviolent engagement of civil society, rather than the militaristic tactics of the War on Terror. Elworthy and Rifkind (co-author not listed on this site) present a comprehensive strategy for breaking the cycle of terrorism and violence in societies scarred by terrorism and long-standing conflicts. For anyone interested in the study of peace and conflict or international affairs, this tiny book (less than 100 pages!) is well worth your time and a centimeter of space on your shelf.

A story about "What Jesus Meant"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 19:36:49 GMT

What Jesus Meant

by Garry Wills

What Jesus Meant is one of the most difficult books I’ve read in quite a while. The reading itself wasn’t exactly difficult per se; it was what Wills has to say that makes the book such a difficult read.

The premise of What Jesus Meant is that Jesus was a social radical for his time in a much greater way than contemporary Christianity usually understands Him, and His followers have generally misinterpreted Him, His words, and His actions ever since. Using historical contexts and quotes from the Gospels (Wills’ own translation), Wills has some very critical things to say about contemporary “Christian politics”, modern Christianity, the ways in which His teachings are (attempted to be) put into practice and manifested in our world today, and many other subjects.

I would love to reread this book with a discussion group or with a few of my friends. The book raised a lot of questions for me. Many of the things Wills touches on in his book I had an idea of already; I agreed with many of his points. However, there were several issues raised by Wills that I’m not sure I either understand completely or agree with (specifically, for example, some points about sexual ethics, and others about the Catholic priesthood). While reading What Jesus Meant, I got up several times to check find my Bible and check out passages Wills quotes from. Wills is very good about providing quotes and citations to back up his arguments.

Definitely a very thought-provoking book. I would love to explore Wills’ arguments more in depth, preferably with someone slightly more versed in Christian theology than I.

A story about "A Man Without a Country"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 19:08:34 GMT

A Man Without a Country

by Kurt Vonnegut

I love Vonnegut. I just want to throw that out there.

Man Without A Country is a nonfiction collection of writings and essays that Vonnegut came up with over the past few years that he assembled to make one beautifully well written work, a combination of memoir, commentary, and humor piece. Vonnegut touches on his family, his childhood, writing, politics, all sorts of good stuff. Shuffled into the book are some of Vonnegut’s original drawings and sketches, most of them depicting a short poem or quote.

A great book – in my opinion, some of Vonnegut’s very best writing – that any Vonnegut fan will love.

A story about "The Screwtape Letters"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 18:54:10 GMT

The Screwtape Letters

by C. S. Lewis

First of all, C. S. Lewis is an amazing writer. But we knew that.

In The Screwtape Letters, Lewis provides for us a correspondence between two demons, an uncle and his nephew, bureaucrats in the “lowerarchy” (as opposed to “hierarchy”) of Hell working to secure souls for “the Father Below”. This is the framework in which Lewis describes all those temptations and demons that plague the lives of modern Christians. The Letters are funny yet very serious at the same time, as is true of many of Lewis’ works. Both a hopeful tale and a cautionary one, The Screwtape Letters is a good addition to any Christian’s reading list.

A story about "Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 18:40:34 GMT

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters

by Mark Dunn

Good book. Somewhere along the lines of Fahrenheit 451, only approached from a different angle. Ella Minnow Pea is set on a small utopian-type island named for one Nevin Nollop, that linguistic genius who first penned the phrase “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Nollop’s memory is immortalized in both the love and prowess the island’s inhabitants have for language and a statue erected in the town square in his honor featuring the famous phrase. All is well in life on the island until suddenly the letters on the statue begin to fall from the phrase, moving the island’s governing council to declare the falling letters to be communication from beyond the grave from their beloved linguistic ancestor and begin barring the usage of the fallen letters.

I liked the epistolary form Dunn takes for this novel. The letters are written by various island inhabitants, most from the story’s heroine, a young girl for whom the book is named. As letters drop from Nollop’s statue and are subsequently banned from use on the island of Nollop, they disappear from the letters comprising the book as well.

Ella, like Fahrenheit 451 and other dystopian novels, has myriad subtle messages about the dangers of totalitarianism and allowing one’s rights to be taken without a struggle; the book is, however, more lighthearted and not quite so dark as other dystopias.

A quick, enjoyable read. It is, as Ella describes itself, “a quirky novel with pages of zany, jumbled lexicon.”

A story about "Everything is Illuminated"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 20:03:11 GMT

Everything is Illuminated

by Jonathan Safran Foer

Took me a little while to get into the book, but I liked it once I did. Foer has a unique style of writing, I enjoyed it. The story is sad but worth the read.

Human rights and globalization (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Fri, 26 May 2006 14:55:07 GMT

Globalizing Rights: The Oxford Amnesty Lectures 1999

Globalizing Rights is an edited volume of essays about various aspects of human rights as related to globalization, written by well known and respected scholars and intellectuals in the field. Each essay is followed by a response written by another scholar, sometimes a scholar cited in the work to which they are responding.

Eh, it was all right. I wasn’t terribly satisfied with the responses. Nearly all of the responses dealt with just a small aspect of the article in question; I felt they could have been taken further and that there were still many, many aspects of the essays that merited a response or rebuttal. Most responses were only a few pages, hardly enough to explore in depth the issues raised by the essays. I thought the essay written by Susan George, “Globalizing Rights?”, wasn’t very well written or argued at all. Vandana Shiva’s article “Food Rights, Free Trade, and Fascism” was one of the most depressing things I’ve ever read.

I’ve marked it worth reading, but to really be worth your time, it should be read as a way to start a discussion (or at least start thinking critically) about the issues it raises. The essays all provide lots of opportunities for a critical examination of the issues they raise, discussion, and debate. I don’t think this is a book to be read and accepted at face value without some critical reflection on its contents.

A story about "A Cartoon History of United States Foreign Policy Since World War 1"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Fri, 19 May 2006 14:13:56 GMT

A Cartoon History of United States Foreign Policy Since World War 1

by Foreign Policy Association (editors)

I haven’t gotten to read a book with a picture on every page in years! That is, at least, not a book that I wasn’t reading to a little kid!

Found this in the local library yesterday. My sister had to go there for some research for a paper she’s writing, so I wandered around looking for anything interesting, and found this. It was fun. Bit old (printed in 1967) so it covers US foreign policy up until about détente. Even so, it’s still interesting. Good suppliment to any book/course about US history or US diplomatic history, since cartoons show domestic sentiment about foriegn policy. It was interesting seeing the views of different newspapers and publishing companies change (or stay the same) over time.

One random comment: I think the artistic quality of political cartoons has gone downhill since the addition of color.

A story about "The Da Vinci Code"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Thu, 18 May 2006 14:09:38 GMT

The Da Vinci Code

by Dan Brown

Read Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum instead. Foucault’s Pendulum is everything the Da Vinci Code dreams it could be.

That said, I enjoyed reading DVC. The key to reading this book is to remember that it is primarily a work of FICTION. Take everything that Dan Brown says about the Church, Opus Dei, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Da Vinci, art history…actually, everything Dan Brown says that seems like it should be based in fact…take it all with a grain of salt. A shaker of salt is more like it.

If you’re going to read it, just be skeptical about everything he says that seems factual. Remember that Brown is primarily a fiction writer, not a religious scholar, not an art historian, not a Parisian tour guide.

If you’re looking for a good conspiracy theory novel, go with Foucault’s Pendulum instead.

An in-depth analysis of American politics

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Wed, 17 May 2006 22:04:27 GMT

Moral Politics : How Liberals and Conservatives Think

by George Lakoff

Lakoff is a cognitive scientist, studying the way the mind works in regards to language. In Moral Politics, he takes his background in cognitive science and applies it to American politics, anaylsing the way that liberals and conservatives use language to talk about the issues that matter to them to come up with a coherent, well thought out theory about why liberals and conservatives think the way they think and why they believe what they do. According to Lakoff’s theory, for which he offers extensive supporting evidence based on his own research and observations of mainstream political discourse, liberal and conservative politics are based on two inherently, drastically different world views, each stemming from a different ideological model of the ideal family structure, then extending the model of the family to apply to the nation as a family. The two different family ideologies, combined with the nation-as-family conception, produce the full range of liberal and conservative political positions. Lakoff’s model explains, for example, what conservative opposition to environmentalism has to do with conservative opposition to gun control and to the minimum wage.

One of Lakoff’s greatest strengths, in my opinion, is that he is very clear in stating his bias from the outset. He makes no attempt to hide the fact that he considers himself a political liberal. That said, as a scientist, most of his book is written in a very nonbiased manner. The book has six parts. Five are written in a nonbiased, straightforward, scientific sort of way. The final part is where Lakoff addresses his fellow liberals with advice on how to apply the newfound knowledge of the subconscious roots of American politics to reframe debates and be generally more successful in politics than liberals in recent years have been.

However, don’t let the fact that Lakoff is liberal and includes a chapter specifically directed at liberals stop you from reading the book. As I said, the first five parts are worth reading on their own. To any conservative who might brush aside Lakoff as a scientist on the basis of Lakoff as a political being, I would challenge you to read the book so we could hold an informed debate. Read the last section too, so you can inform yourself about what liberal scholars and activists are going to try to start doing, to better prepare yourself to meet us in informed debate.

Contrary to the other entry about this book here, it isn’t written in a poor manner at all, it just reads like a textbook. Lakoff makes the same points over and over, repeats concepts central to his theories, and uses many examples to explain things – it reads like a textbook. His writing style in Moral Politics is very similar to the style of Metaphors We Live By – textbookish.

Recommended for anyone with an interest in either cognitive science or linguistics, or anyone seeking a better understanding of American politics.

A story about "A New History of Classical Rhetoric"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Wed, 10 May 2006 12:27:10 GMT

A New History of Classical Rhetoric

by George A. Kennedy

Ok, so I didn’t exactly read it cover to cover. I used it for a paper I was writing about Cicero and oratory in ancient Rome. It was very helpful. Probably worth actually reading for anyone with an interest in Ancient Greece or Rome, classics, rhetoric, and whatnot.

Why I gave up consuming "Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Wed, 10 May 2006 12:22:39 GMT

Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics)

by Thomas Hardy

I couldn’t really get into it. I got about halfway through it without ever feeling any particular affinity for the heroine or the plot. I then lent it to my roommate over spring break, who read it and loved it. I, however, decided it hadn’t captured my interest enough for me to pick it back up, and slated it for bookcrossing rather than give it the space in my luggage to come back to the US.

Who knows, maybe I’ll pick it up again from the library in the summer. I just couldn’t get into it, that’s all.

A good general discussion of the implications of hegemony

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Wed, 10 May 2006 12:19:25 GMT

The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership

by Zbigniew Brzezinski

The Choice is basically a discussion of the implications of American hegemony for American democracy, American national security, and global security. Brzezinski begins by discussing the global political environment and current security threats, both to the US and to the world at large. He then moves on to discussing current and future American policy options in response to these threats.

Brzezinksi sees American foreign policy, currently enjoying the historically unique situation as a global hegemonic power, as having two basic foreign policy options (or, rather, two basic visions on which our foreign policy can be based): hegemony and leadership based on the consent of the global community, or simple American domination of world politics. While simple domination would be costly, unstable, and unlikely to last very long, consensual leadership, based on a policy of encouraging multi-/inter-/supra-national cooperation, building strong alliances, and taking the opinions of close allies into consideration while shaping foreign policy, would increase both American supremacy and the legitimacy of American hegemony.

Brzezinski also discusses the implications of hegemony for American democracy itself. According to Brzezinksi, the two have historically been incompatible; he uses the example of Ancient Rome’s transition from a republic to an empire as a cautionary tale. He cautions against the threat to civil rights that comes from a “garrison state mentality” and foreign policy based on the paranoid fear of a vague, ill-defined entity such as “terrorists”.

All in all, a good book, definitely worth the read for anyone with an interest in international politics or American foreign policy.

A story about "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 20:57:53 GMT

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

by Samuel P. Huntington

Actually his argument isn’t very well respected (cough) in academia, it really isn’t that great of an argument, but it’s worth reading just because it’s well known and referred to often and somehow seems to have [at least partially] inspired current American foreign policy.

A story about "Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Stacey) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 20:37:13 GMT

Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe

by Bill Bryson

Funny as hell.

I haven’t been to most of the places that he described, but of the places that I have been…

I loved his description of Rome. The chapter on Naples was dead on. The stuff about Sorrento was good. I had better feelings about Florence and Salzburg than he apparently did.

Good book. Worth reading. You’ll “get it” better if you’ve been to whereever it is he’s talking about, but even if you haven’t, it’s a great book. Hilarious.