In a journalistic and readable style (very accessible on audiobook), Orlean covers a lot of ground in The Library Book. In the hands of a lesser writeIn a journalistic and readable style (very accessible on audiobook), Orlean covers a lot of ground in The Library Book. In the hands of a lesser writers, the details - stories about library patrons, recollections of her own upbringing, the story of a man accused of setting fire to the central branch of LA Library, information about libraries burned throughout history - would have felt disconnected and trivial. She makes it her own and includes a lot of her own options, which journalists do. I don't agree with her on everything, but I came away from the story with mainly positive feelings. Included in the book are:
Eyewitness accounts of the 1986 fire that destroyed the central branch of the LA Public Library
A questioning of police handling of arson generally
Reasons people burn books and libraries
Library history and history of the librarians who have run LA's library system (including the women who protested for the right to become librarians
How libraries are serving the unhoused populations worldwide...more
"How many dead colonels justify a child's or a rickshaw driver's death when you are building a national democratic front?”
Pyle, an American on a myst"How many dead colonels justify a child's or a rickshaw driver's death when you are building a national democratic front?”
Pyle, an American on a mysterious mission in Saigon, has been murdered. We see the story through the eyes of a British reporter with an ax to grind against Pyle. The setting is so engrossing, and as usual, Graham Greene explores morality in a way I can't stop thinking about. He makes it hard to approve of or cast judgment on the characters because they're ALL mixed up. The war writing is as poignant as All Quiet on the Western Front, in places.
“ We didn't want to be reminded of how little we counted, how quickly, simply, and anonymously death came.”
I was so riveted by the soap opera, I'm sure I missed the whole point of the book; but there’s always rereading ...more
One of my favorites of 2023. I learned so much from the profile of 6 very different North Koreans and was gripped to the end - two of the refugees actOne of my favorites of 2023. I learned so much from the profile of 6 very different North Koreans and was gripped to the end - two of the refugees actually knew eachother in NK! This is an older book profiling some of the very first known refugees, but well worth reading for the history....more
Congo. A mystery for so long, Congo caught the world’s attention in the late 19th century as an incredible source of natural resourceRating: 100/100%
Congo. A mystery for so long, Congo caught the world’s attention in the late 19th century as an incredible source of natural resources. Unfortunately, by the time imperialists realized their sins and abruptly left the county, the native inhabitants were left with a shattered state. On the first day of Congo's independence in 1960, they inherited an impressive infrastructure but had no native professionals qualified to run it: no officers, physicians, engineers, lawyers, agronomists, or economists. This is where Congo natives suffered under colonization: they had been hindered from graduating college and rising into these positions. As a result, chaos descended. Since then, it has suffered through dictators, war with neighboring nations, and chaos. The last update in David Van Reybrouck’s Congo is heartbreaking: “On an average, one pays taxes thirty times a year. The tax on profits equals almost 60 percent—money that never ends up with the common Congolese citizen.22 What that common Congolese citizen does end up with is disease. The infant mortality rate is one of the world’s highest: 161 out of every 1,000 children do not live to the age of five. One out of every three children under the age of five is underweight. Life expectancy at birth is forty-six years. Almost 30 percent of the population is illiterate, 50 percent of the children do not attend elementary school, 54 percent of the population has no access to clean drinking water."
That’s what I learned from this book. I’m still new to nonfiction and before reading this book, I knew nothing about Congolese history; but I found this extremely impressive: it’s very readable and it includes an incredible amount of direct testimony from Congolese citizens who lived the history of the nation. His examples, often drawn from that direct testimony, show the complexity of the problems facing Congo, its inhabitants, and even its invaders. The history is checkered, and there is no easy way forward. I’m grateful for books like these that are readable and authoritative, although I’m sure it would help me to read a second book with other perspectives. Maybe I will at some point....more
Ethusiastic short history of the Aztecs. Lots of quotes from primary sources. Highly readable, although the names can get confusing if you're unfamiliEthusiastic short history of the Aztecs. Lots of quotes from primary sources. Highly readable, although the names can get confusing if you're unfamiliar with Aztec history. (Still, if you have to start getting familiar somewhere, this seems like a good place to start!) I enjoyed it!...more
3 stars for entertainment value. I really enjoyed this on audio, except for the fact that the narrator pronounced the word “cavalry” as “Calvary”…and 3 stars for entertainment value. I really enjoyed this on audio, except for the fact that the narrator pronounced the word “cavalry” as “Calvary”…and since the author says he is, himself, an Irish Catholic, I would think he knows the difference…right? I mean, this was a book about the civil war, so the mispronunciation came up a lot.
Still, I really enjoyed this account of the assassination of Lincoln, though I don’t normally read a lot of histories, popular or otherwise.
I'm still learning about Native history, but The Nations Within lays out the negotiations between the US government and the sovereign tribes with whatI'm still learning about Native history, but The Nations Within lays out the negotiations between the US government and the sovereign tribes with what appears to be a balanced perspective. Cites and lists sources.
Christaaay
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