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Bad Book Selection Last Time Okay, this is going to be rather quick, so bear with me. Not really in the mood to play with the computer today. Video games, maybe, but not this except for editing. I'm also really interested in The Handmaid's Tale right now. Its rather compelling. Dan is currently posessed by Fear and Loathing. I'm just proud to get him reading something more than car mags. Yay for intellectual growth! We'll also have something to talk about because he's reading it before I do (no, I've only read the first chapter of F&L, not the whole thing). So, yay bonding! Please Don't come Back from the Moon by Bakopoulos Not a bad read. It is set in Detroit, so its nice to hear of some local landmarks. The outmigration is completely understandable, but the plot is a little too simple. For some reason, I couldn't find myself caring about Micheal, the protagonist. So, okay, he's doomed to choose between staying at home and fulfilling his responsibilities to his children, or disappearing one night like his dad did when he was little. I get that history repeats itself and he's struggling because know he knows why his dad left one night, but I never found the character or the struggle compelling. It could just be, however, so check out the Amazon reviews in case someone liked it. Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe by Singh This is a very good read for anyone that is wants basic cosmology. It does a good job of explaining how all the theories changed as we learned more about the universe. It does it in layman's terms, that I think everyone can understand if they're willing to undertake the journey. If, however, your parents have lectured you on basic cosmology, black holes, dwarf stars, and spacetime theory, do not bother reading this book. You probably know most of the theory in it, though it can be nice to brush up on who said what. Beyond that, I had the feeling I was rereading everything. The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America by Lemann Half this book is really good. He does a nice job of using semi compelling personal accounts to keep the story real in addition to the facts and figures. He does makes the ghettos seem real, but midway through the book the story gets really repetitive. I got the main message that the migration of the black sharecroppers from the South to Chicago impacted the entire nation economically, socially, and created our current racial problems. That makes sense. Its also nice to see the complete analysis of the black migration in one work, for those who want to pursue it. I'm just going to admit that the latter half of the book lagged. It covered the usual MLK Jr. vs Malcolm X material, and described the national race situation. Us whites weren't helping matters, we weren't throwing enough money at the problem, and we wanted everyone off welfare. We didn't understand the situation, and we kept cutting money through the 80s. Too bad. They improved their programs, community action flopped, and we gave them another shot. Great, right? Well, not to sound uncomfortable with criticisms of my race, the latter half of the book tends to dwell on the same theme of whites' lack of understanding. At the time, I can believe that, but now its different. I think educated whites are very aware of black issues, mostly because its crammed down our throats! In college we're required to take diversity classes. We hear black groups speak out on campus. Our roommates force us to recognize the issues, as do the books our profs assign us. So, its not like we don't know what's going on. Maybe, back then, they were oblivious, but I doubt it. The President can get any information he wants, so he probably knew. So, perhaps, us whites are more guilty of ignorning the information than not knowing in the first place. Anyway, aside from all that, this book was okay. I found myself liking the first half, but the modern stuff got a little polematic. I couldn't deal well with that, so I rushed to finish it. The Handmaid's Tale is proving to be much more interesting. Daphne |