Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
by Lewis Carroll
New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2004.
286 p. ; 22 cm.
Before there was Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett there was Lewis Carroll. Not able to remember if I had actually read all of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass (or just absorbed it ala Disney!) - I decided to read the novels this summer.
They are an easy read and enjoyable, but I found them both to get a bit tiresome after a while. Again and again one follows Alice as she wanders through a world of absurdity, metafiction, pun, wordplay, and pure zaniness. Not bad at all, if that's to your taste, but after a bit I just found myself wanting a little more. However, like Adams (and maybe like Neil Gaiman), Carroll's novels are not all light and fun; and undercurrent of threat and morbidity runs throughout the novels. Given Carroll's own stunted sexuality and abuse of the little girls he spent time with, this unsettling aspect is not surprising; I couldn't help but feel that the greatest threat lurking in the novel is the dread of girls actually growing up.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Mourning for America
The Man Who Sold the World: Ronald Reagan and the Betrayal of Main Street America
by William Kleinknecht
New York: Nation Books, 2009.
317 p. ; 22 cm.
This book is a great antidote to the hagiography surrounding our 40th President, Ronald Reagan. Kleinknecht doesn't pretend to be unbiased, but lambastes the policies and legacy of the Reagan administration. However, the book is not just polemics, but a well researched investigation into activities of the Reagan administration and especially its powerful legacy of deregulation and redistribution of wealth upward.
The book is a bit long for general high school readers, but is indispensable for research into the politics of the 80s. The book is not a biography, but an analysis of the successes of the Reagan revolution - successes that Kleinknecht argues have made our society less equal, less compassionate, more consumerist, and more vulnerable to the predations of unfettered capitalism.
by William Kleinknecht
New York: Nation Books, 2009.
317 p. ; 22 cm.
This book is a great antidote to the hagiography surrounding our 40th President, Ronald Reagan. Kleinknecht doesn't pretend to be unbiased, but lambastes the policies and legacy of the Reagan administration. However, the book is not just polemics, but a well researched investigation into activities of the Reagan administration and especially its powerful legacy of deregulation and redistribution of wealth upward.
The book is a bit long for general high school readers, but is indispensable for research into the politics of the 80s. The book is not a biography, but an analysis of the successes of the Reagan revolution - successes that Kleinknecht argues have made our society less equal, less compassionate, more consumerist, and more vulnerable to the predations of unfettered capitalism.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
A Plot That Never Let's Go
The Knife of Never Letting Go
by Patrick Ness
Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, 2008.
1st U.S. ed.
479 p. ; 23 cm.
The first thing to say about The Knife is that it is a very creative novel. It manages to be science fiction without seeming to much like science fiction. It has several conceptual devices that are unprecedented. For example, much of the novel is about Noise. On the colonized planet where the action takes place, the men can hear and even see one another's thoughts. Men can try to hide or obscure their Noise, but it is impossible to keep it completely hidden. As one can imagine, this situation creates some very tense and dramatic episodes - especially when one is being hunted by hostile men. Women, on the other hand can hear men's Noise, but their thoughts remain private. Lastly, animals on this new planet can talk - and as you might guess, their expressions are very limited and basic.
The novel also delves into very deep issues about men, women, violence, xenophobia, religion, war, colonization, lies, propaganda, brainwashing, friendship, bravery, cowardice, loyalty and - of course - love.
As you can probably tell, there was a lot that I really liked about this novel. The writing, too, is very skillful. The main character, who narrates the story, has a way of expressing himself that uses interesting mispellings and Noise is indicated by bold, casual font. In spite of liking a lot about this novel, I ultimately found it to be very disappointing. It is essentially a pursuit-thriller story and the chase of the main character and his female ally by the villains is at times overwrought and improbable. Over and over the two heroes seem safe only to be surprised or overtaken by their pursuers. Especially ridiculous, is the main villain, Aaron, who seems to be more of a terminator sort of figure than a human as he survives mauling by crocodiles, near drowning, severe head injuries, and a severe dog mauling.
Finally, I was really put off with the ending of the novel, in that there is no real closure. The story is left hanging - really just another version of the repetitive plot device of supposed safety reached that actually results in even greater peril. This kind of unfinished ending feels manipulative, and a thinly veiled tactic for selling the sequel. I would contrast this kind of gimmick with the satisfying ending to The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a complete novel, but does not preclude it's being continued in book 2, Catching Fire. When you reach the end of The Knife on the other hand, you are essentially left with an unfinished book. Some readers may enjoy this, but it is not my cup of tea.
by Patrick Ness
Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, 2008.
1st U.S. ed.
479 p. ; 23 cm.
The first thing to say about The Knife is that it is a very creative novel. It manages to be science fiction without seeming to much like science fiction. It has several conceptual devices that are unprecedented. For example, much of the novel is about Noise. On the colonized planet where the action takes place, the men can hear and even see one another's thoughts. Men can try to hide or obscure their Noise, but it is impossible to keep it completely hidden. As one can imagine, this situation creates some very tense and dramatic episodes - especially when one is being hunted by hostile men. Women, on the other hand can hear men's Noise, but their thoughts remain private. Lastly, animals on this new planet can talk - and as you might guess, their expressions are very limited and basic.
The novel also delves into very deep issues about men, women, violence, xenophobia, religion, war, colonization, lies, propaganda, brainwashing, friendship, bravery, cowardice, loyalty and - of course - love.
As you can probably tell, there was a lot that I really liked about this novel. The writing, too, is very skillful. The main character, who narrates the story, has a way of expressing himself that uses interesting mispellings and Noise is indicated by bold, casual font. In spite of liking a lot about this novel, I ultimately found it to be very disappointing. It is essentially a pursuit-thriller story and the chase of the main character and his female ally by the villains is at times overwrought and improbable. Over and over the two heroes seem safe only to be surprised or overtaken by their pursuers. Especially ridiculous, is the main villain, Aaron, who seems to be more of a terminator sort of figure than a human as he survives mauling by crocodiles, near drowning, severe head injuries, and a severe dog mauling.
Finally, I was really put off with the ending of the novel, in that there is no real closure. The story is left hanging - really just another version of the repetitive plot device of supposed safety reached that actually results in even greater peril. This kind of unfinished ending feels manipulative, and a thinly veiled tactic for selling the sequel. I would contrast this kind of gimmick with the satisfying ending to The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a complete novel, but does not preclude it's being continued in book 2, Catching Fire. When you reach the end of The Knife on the other hand, you are essentially left with an unfinished book. Some readers may enjoy this, but it is not my cup of tea.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
You Are Here
You Are Here by Christopher Potter
New York : Harper Perennial, 2010.
1st Harper Perennial ed.
294 p. ; 21 cm.
This book is a darn good read for the scientifically inclined. Does a bang up job of covering a lot, and I mean a lot of material in a short readable bit of space. The book begins with size on the macro scale, moving out into the cosmos in sets of meters (starting at 1-10 meters) ending in the over 1026 meters range (over 10 billion light years) and then later heads in the opposite direction down to the 10-10 meter range. Between these scales Potter gives us a brief history of science from the presocratics to the present.
As if this weren't enough, Potter helps us understand the nature of light (all forms), time and the origin of the universe, and finally with the history of good old earth and current thinking about human origins. Amazingly Potter manages to do all this without being dull or extremely confusing. The only section I found slow was the information on the various early scientific theories, but any young person reading this could skip or skim this part and still not lose the benefits of the book.
Definitely a recommended read for the student wanting a contemporary science overview. I also should mention that this book had one of the best explanations of basic quantum theory for the lay person.
New York : Harper Perennial, 2010.
1st Harper Perennial ed.
294 p. ; 21 cm.
This book is a darn good read for the scientifically inclined. Does a bang up job of covering a lot, and I mean a lot of material in a short readable bit of space. The book begins with size on the macro scale, moving out into the cosmos in sets of meters (starting at 1-10 meters) ending in the over 1026 meters range (over 10 billion light years) and then later heads in the opposite direction down to the 10-10 meter range. Between these scales Potter gives us a brief history of science from the presocratics to the present.
As if this weren't enough, Potter helps us understand the nature of light (all forms), time and the origin of the universe, and finally with the history of good old earth and current thinking about human origins. Amazingly Potter manages to do all this without being dull or extremely confusing. The only section I found slow was the information on the various early scientific theories, but any young person reading this could skip or skim this part and still not lose the benefits of the book.
Definitely a recommended read for the student wanting a contemporary science overview. I also should mention that this book had one of the best explanations of basic quantum theory for the lay person.
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