alexis ohanian // book reviews
i like to read books when my eyes hurt from looking
at a screen too long. afterward, i write about and arbitrarily
rate them
I get a little nervous when a "history" book (at least, that was the section it was in) doesn't have any endnotes or footnotes. I get more than a little nervous when the explanation given by the author is essentially "lots of the accounts contradicted one another, so I didn't want to confuse you, the reader, by including citations".
Granted, the scene in Hitler's bunker in those final months of the war were confusing to say the least. But throw us history majors a bone here, Herr Fest. Much of the history written on these waning hours in the heart of the Third Reich has largely been based on the diary of one of Hitler's personal secretaries, Traudl Junge. These women were in the end the few who Hitler still believed hadn't betrayed him -- he'd wished he had generals with such resolve and loyalty. Needless to say, his paranoia and delusion had hit their apex at this point.
Fest does a good job storytelling, but things get ugly when he begins to inject his own psychoanalysis of the Führer. Two entire chapters were frustratingly speculative and appear to contradict most of the historical research I have seen (it was only a matter of time before my history major would start to pay off). And all without any citation. Granted, I haven't read Fest's biography of Hitler, so he has the authority, I just wish he had the evidence, too. Ultimately, these flaccid chapters weakened what was otherwise a fine read.
The film Der Untergang [the Downfall] was based largely on Bis zur letzten Stunde (Junge's published diary) and does a fantastic job conveying (so well, it'll make you uncomfortable) what those final months in the Berlin bunker must have been like. Rent the movie, skip the book.
PS. It's not a great first date flick
Granted, the scene in Hitler's bunker in those final months of the war were confusing to say the least. But throw us history majors a bone here, Herr Fest. Much of the history written on these waning hours in the heart of the Third Reich has largely been based on the diary of one of Hitler's personal secretaries, Traudl Junge. These women were in the end the few who Hitler still believed hadn't betrayed him -- he'd wished he had generals with such resolve and loyalty. Needless to say, his paranoia and delusion had hit their apex at this point.
Fest does a good job storytelling, but things get ugly when he begins to inject his own psychoanalysis of the Führer. Two entire chapters were frustratingly speculative and appear to contradict most of the historical research I have seen (it was only a matter of time before my history major would start to pay off). And all without any citation. Granted, I haven't read Fest's biography of Hitler, so he has the authority, I just wish he had the evidence, too. Ultimately, these flaccid chapters weakened what was otherwise a fine read.
The film Der Untergang [the Downfall] was based largely on Bis zur letzten Stunde (Junge's published diary) and does a fantastic job conveying (so well, it'll make you uncomfortable) what those final months in the Berlin bunker must have been like. Rent the movie, skip the book.
PS. It's not a great first date flick
It was only a matter of time. Once a popular book becomes so popular that I get recommendations on two consecutive train rides from the random person sitting beside me, I finally give in.
Everyone hearts Gladwell, and with such a fantastic head of hair, it's hard not to. But I'm not going to play the contrarian and hate on this follow-up to his immensely popular (and painfully oft-quoted) The Tipping Point. It's insightful in the "ah-ha" moment sort of way, which -- at least for me -- happened quite often. In fact, I ended up giving my copy to the flight attendant shortly after finishing it. Damn you, Malcolm, I've become one of those people.
Everyone hearts Gladwell, and with such a fantastic head of hair, it's hard not to. But I'm not going to play the contrarian and hate on this follow-up to his immensely popular (and painfully oft-quoted) The Tipping Point. It's insightful in the "ah-ha" moment sort of way, which -- at least for me -- happened quite often. In fact, I ended up giving my copy to the flight attendant shortly after finishing it. Damn you, Malcolm, I've become one of those people.
Islam 101. Never got the chance to take a religious studies class at school, but I suspect that this would be on the reading list. Aslan, a practicing Muslim, takes a very academic approach to explaining the origins, evolution, and future of Islam (as the subtitle suggests) but almost sounds defensive at times. Then again, given all the demonizing of Islam since 9-11, I guess I can't blame him. It's an extensive history of the religion and an especially eye-opening one for me, someone who admittedly only had a cursory knowledge. For instance, I finally learned the name of the cube (Ka'ba) that was modeled after the Apple store on 5th Ave. -- a holy building, indeed.
I thought I'd try reading the book before seeing the movie for a change; Capote didn't disappoint me. In fact, I still haven't seen the acclaimed flick, but the 40 year old true crime novel chronicling a brutal murder in rural, small-town America still captivates. In just a few pages, you're attached to the would-be victims and following their grizzly deaths, the story alternates between the perspectives of the pursuing detectives and the two killers all the way to their capture, trial, and execution. Oh, and did I mention it's all based on a true story? +6 research points.
I wanted to like this book a lot, I really did. The notion alone of a memoir from a professor living through revolutionary Iran was enough to excite, but the writing became overwrought at times. It felt as though the most captivating anecdotes were the ones given the least attention and the most banal ones were lavished with metaphor (and also happened to come from the memoirist herself). Nevertheless, the insight into the lives of her students alone makes the book a worthwhile read. Especially considering how often we'll likely start seeing Iran in headlines during the coming year...
Appalling but captivating. Nabokov writes splendidly, despite describing such deplorable acts. The story lulls in a few places, but this was definitely one of the "classics" I've read that lived up to the high expectations. It's probably not for everyone, but at least you'll have something to talk about at your next cocktail party.
For a very noteworthy subject that I'm quite interested in, this was quite disappointing. It has its moments, but many of the chapters will leave you scratching your head ("why am I still learning about Robin Hood?"). Although it was nice learning the origin of that fellow, that would have been a quick trip to wikipedia: -3 points. Things pick up once GM gets onto the scene (yes, there's a lot between Robin Hood and GM) and starts wiping out public transportation. This is the part of the tour they don't give during the streetcar museum visit -- if they did, you'd probably leave a lot more pissed. Anyway, there a few chapters here that are winners, but they aren't enough to support his thesis, let alone hold your attention throughout the book.
Not quite perfect, but still a great read -- especially for those of us who are often defending the efficiency of our messiness. Packed full of anecdotes to impress your friends and silence your neatnik critics. Probably will also give you some ammo for that next planning meeting: +2 points for encouraging "messy systems" at the office (+10 points if this can help you get your manager fired).
Found this on my bookshelf back home, I hadn't seen it in years since I first read it, but thought I'd give it another go. Krakauer took a few a chapters to win me over, but his harrowing account of that tragic Everest climb is remarkable. Highly recommended if you're thinking of climbing Everest with little to no high-altitude climbing experience. Note to self: don't try to climb Everest.
This is a topic that to this day goes overlooked by the mainstream media and the blogging world alike. With all the inconvenient truths, worries about nuclear annihilation, and people with megaphones ranting about the coming apocalypse, it's startling that no one has discussed the ending-life-as-we-know-it scenario of a zombie takeover. Hollywood has addressed the subject, but with their typical indifference to fact, these films typically do more harm than good in educating a population that is woefully unprepared for zombies. This book tries to remedy that. Unfortunately, it doesn't last all the way through and -- much like the undead hordes it wants you to survive -- shambles and groans through the a few sections. Still, it's one of the few resources in print on the subject and it definitely has its moments. Now go sharpen your machete.
Precocious 24 year old wants to flee his sheltered, secure suburban life to live one devoid of material gain and full of spiritual fulfillment through an extremely spartan lifestyle. He aspires to spend a winter subsisting in the Alaskan wilderness armed with only his rifle and some rice. There's no "happy ending" here, but it's a remarkable story. Krakauer doesn't hesitate to trumpet the traits he shared with the young man, but does ultimately reserve judgment for the reader. Just a foolish dreamer who got in over his head, or something more? (A great winter read.)
You'll likely feel a bit slimy after reading this. It's hard to slog through at times, but it's worth it. Dense with facts, it will likely drop the jaw of even the most cynical reader at least once -- with some witty remarks to lighten the mood here and there. My thorough enjoyment of this book might be a personal thing, though -- I almost took a summer internship with a PR firm but instead went on the trip that motivated me to start a startup with Steve. Funny how things work out. Oh, and the cover/title is courtesy of Tom Tomorrow: +3 points.
The alien is a huge fan of Vonnegut (mostly for the time travel) but this one didn't rock its world like Slaughterhouse 5 or Cat's Cradle: +7 points for time travel. There's a fairly recent film adaptation starring Bruce Willis (not a joke) that might be worth seeing in a "wtf" kind of way. We do get a chance to learn quite a bit about dejected writer, Kilgore Trout, a character whose name has appeared in many of Vonnegut's books -- an alter ego, of sorts. Oh yes, this one is dark.
Anthony Shadid, a Lebanese American, reports on the Iraq war from the perspective of a range of everyday Iraqi citizens. This was everything I'd hoped it to be -- a riveting account that goes a long way toward illustrating what "everyday life" at war is like. For someone like me, who cannot begin to conceive of such an existence, this was quite insightful. Particularly given the access Shadid has to Iraqis from a variety of classes and professions, the interviews they give -- being read now, with the benefit of hindsight -- are remarkably prescient considering how this conflict has escalated in the years since the invasion.
