. It's wonderful and I love this woman! Also, be sure to check out her blog.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Alice Walker
. It's wonderful and I love this woman! Also, be sure to check out her blog.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A Softer World
A Softer World is an arty comic I love. I thought I would share their recent and relevant comic.
Please check them out! A Softer World
Friday, April 9, 2010
Never Be Late Again
Book #7: Never Be Late Again: 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged
Yeah, that's right - Sometimes I like to read self-help books!
Sometimes I do have the little problem of running late for things. This book was actually quite helpful in laying out some of the reasons why I'm late and how I can change that. For example, I thrive on deadlines, which are great motivators, but I often lose sleep staying up all night working. I recommend this book for anyone trying to get out of their running late habits.
And yeah - self-help books DO help!
Yeah, that's right - Sometimes I like to read self-help books!
Sometimes I do have the little problem of running late for things. This book was actually quite helpful in laying out some of the reasons why I'm late and how I can change that. For example, I thrive on deadlines, which are great motivators, but I often lose sleep staying up all night working. I recommend this book for anyone trying to get out of their running late habits.
And yeah - self-help books DO help!
Lies My Teacher Told Me
Book #6: Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
It wasn't until I took college courses in history that I actually began to enjoy the subject. For a short while, I wanted to major in history. This book clarified why I HATED history as a subject in high school.
Loewen points out a number of outright lies that plague the teaching of American history. Did you know Helen Keller was a socialist? I didn't! Christopher Columbus was a scum bag? Well, he was. I think this book is especially relevant considering all that's been going on in Texas recently. The truth is, American history rarely teaches what students should really be learning, such as critical thinking, while students spend hours learning lists of facts and dates.
Please read this book if you've ever taken an American history class in the U.S., and especially read it if that was your last history class. There are so many things we are not taught about or glossed over or censored, it's truly embarrassing. At least Texas is doing all of this openly.
"Only in history is accuracy so political" (333).
It wasn't until I took college courses in history that I actually began to enjoy the subject. For a short while, I wanted to major in history. This book clarified why I HATED history as a subject in high school.
Loewen points out a number of outright lies that plague the teaching of American history. Did you know Helen Keller was a socialist? I didn't! Christopher Columbus was a scum bag? Well, he was. I think this book is especially relevant considering all that's been going on in Texas recently. The truth is, American history rarely teaches what students should really be learning, such as critical thinking, while students spend hours learning lists of facts and dates.
Please read this book if you've ever taken an American history class in the U.S., and especially read it if that was your last history class. There are so many things we are not taught about or glossed over or censored, it's truly embarrassing. At least Texas is doing all of this openly.
"Only in history is accuracy so political" (333).
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Brothers Karamazov
Book #5: The Brothers Karamazov
"[Eliot] Rosewater said an interesting thing to Billy [Pilgrim] one time ... He said that everything there was to know about life is in The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. "But that isn't enough anymore," said Rosewater."
-Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
This book certainly didn't take me one week to read. I was, however, ahead of schedule on my readings (though not on my blogging) and spent a few weeks reading it. It wasn't until about page 300 that I got drawn in.
This book is theoretical, psychological, and chock full of truths about being human. If anything, at least read the chapter, "The Inquisitor," about Jesus's return to Earth.
I feel like there is so much to say about this book that I can't do it any justice by one blog post. I would love to check out a book of essays on it because there is so much insight and knowledge within it, which can be difficult to capture considering the book is 900 pages.
My one complaint (ignoring the length) is that it can be difficult to love such an old book, when racism, sexism, etc., are so prevalent. For example, one child in the book asks if Jews kidnap and eat children for Easter. I suppose I should just ignore it, accept it as a sign of its times, but I always encounter this problem when I read older books. How should I react to this language, while the rest of the book is so thought provoking? Any thoughts? How do you deal with good books with a few bad ideas?
"[Eliot] Rosewater said an interesting thing to Billy [Pilgrim] one time ... He said that everything there was to know about life is in The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. "But that isn't enough anymore," said Rosewater."
-Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
This book certainly didn't take me one week to read. I was, however, ahead of schedule on my readings (though not on my blogging) and spent a few weeks reading it. It wasn't until about page 300 that I got drawn in.
This book is theoretical, psychological, and chock full of truths about being human. If anything, at least read the chapter, "The Inquisitor," about Jesus's return to Earth.
I feel like there is so much to say about this book that I can't do it any justice by one blog post. I would love to check out a book of essays on it because there is so much insight and knowledge within it, which can be difficult to capture considering the book is 900 pages.
My one complaint (ignoring the length) is that it can be difficult to love such an old book, when racism, sexism, etc., are so prevalent. For example, one child in the book asks if Jews kidnap and eat children for Easter. I suppose I should just ignore it, accept it as a sign of its times, but I always encounter this problem when I read older books. How should I react to this language, while the rest of the book is so thought provoking? Any thoughts? How do you deal with good books with a few bad ideas?
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