Books 8 - 11

Most recently finished The Ethics of What We Eat, and found it strikingly similar to The Food Revolution, written by John Robbins. A lot of pro-vegan anti-animal based and factory farms, but it was different than Robbins' book because it advocated meat consumption if it the meat was consumed in a 100% sustainable/ethical way. Lots of good scientific facts, biased but in a good way, I'd say. Profiles three American families: conventional/Wal-Mart/middle-American southern family with a meat-based diet, a CT family with half veg/half omni household that buys organic and supposedly sustainable meat products, and a vegan family in the middle of Kansas, the obvious stars of the bunch. Was not overly enlightening to me but I'd like to shove this book into America's hands.

Prior to that was Huxley's Island, which I have been reading bits of for about two months amidst school work, finally finishing after I came back to Connecticut (brb stealing UVM library books). Found it very similar to Brave New World but it was still enjoyable, took everything that Huxley found wrong with the modern world (as of press) and started anew without any of those things on the island of Pala. Better utopian culture than the one that is presnted in BNW I thinks.

I read The Fall by Albert Camus very very quickly in the midst of studying and homework and honestly do not remember what it was about at this time. will probably reread later this year, oops.

The Cheating Culture by David Callahan was very very great, I was very pleased to be assigned this book for my sociology class this semester. Very interesting and depressing look into how awful American culture has become in all sectors, and how we are on our way to turning into a Brasil-like country where the gap between the rich and poor is unsurpassable. Would recommend this book to all MBA students, srsly.

For my philosophy class this semester I read about half of Descartes' Discourse and Meditations, and about 8/10 of Hume's Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding, both of which were v dense but interesting. Might decided to count the two together as a full book. Reading some Evelyn Waugh and Vonnegut next, woo!

Books 9-12

Like everyone else, I have been lagging on my reading, but here's a quickie update to remind myself:

Book 9: Aldous Huxley - Doors of Perception / Heaven and Hell
I'm not sure if this counts as one, since I only read "Doors of Perception". It was a while back now, maybe in March that I read this at the peak of my interest in psycadelic drugs and their effect on the human mind. Huxley makes it sound rad, but his way of rambling about it is a little too "this will change your life this will change your life this will change your life" for me.

between books 9 and 10, I started but did not finish: A Farewell to Arms (Hemingway) and Visions of Cody (Kerouac). They did not pass the 50-page test which is a bummer because these are two of my favorite writers.


Book 10: Richard Wright - Native Son
This book was SO good. Easy to read and a great message, although I found myself getting aggravated at the stupidity of the main character - but only a result of my 2009 mind reacting to a 1930s scenario. It's a story of a young black man that accidentally kills a young white woman and attempts to cover up the crime and run away in segregated Chicago in the 30s. It's a great look at racial tension during the time, and the emotional state of both whites and blacks as a result of this tension. For some reason I'm not so sure of (outside of its setting), it reminded me of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle".




Book 11: Philip Gourevitch - We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families
This is a collection of first-hand accounts of the Rwanda genocide. It wasn't as sad as I expected, but did offer a good glimpse at what really happened and how the world did really sit back and watch this very small country destroy itself. What happened here is still beyond my comprehension, and my apathy to it disgusts me to a point. This is a great starting point for anyone interested in learning about the genocide from those who experienced it.


Book 12: Joan Didion - Run River
This is a reread, worth my full attention because the last time I read it was to kill time when I was sitting behind a register. What can I say? It's a Joan Didion novel. The female lead character is detached from her husband, her children, and most of the time herself. Didion focuses on character development - and the entire novel is basically a backstory to an event that takes place in the course of maybe an hour. Great nonetheless.