book reviews last quarter 2008

I seem to be at a blank with trying to write blog entries so I decided to post my book reviews for this quarter early, though I will probably end up reading quite a few additional books in this last week of December as I will be on vacation. I'm excited about having some time to read since I have some really fascinating books lined up. A semester of assigned reading has awakened a desire for further exploration of different topics. I’m currently reading Engaging the Powers by Walter Wink as I have been reflecting on individual responsibility in systems of oppression. The book is so far absolutely fascinating….


I seem to be similarly stalled with my more tangible crafting pursuits. Here's a photo of a pair of baby socks I've knit up recently for an undisclosed recipient. I have plenty of "stash" yarn still sitting around, but nothing seems to be inspiring me to knit...




In any case, here are the reviews. I use the lovely non-pretentious rating scale from Goodreads
*didn’t like it
**it was ok
***liked it
**** really liked it
***** it was amazing

Fiction

*** The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz) ~ Having studied minority and postcolonial literature in college, I’ve been wary of reading “minority fiction” since much of it follows a similar narrative format. However, after attending a very interesting reading by the author, I decided to read the book. Using references to popular American science fiction and fantasy and to Dominican culture, the book narrates the life of Oscar Wao, a nerdy boy who cannot seem to get a girlfriend. The book also traces the history of his mother and his mother’s family during the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. The ending was a slight letdown but by no means ruined the book. Diaz is a phenomenal writer—his style is engaging and funny and this novel is a fresh take on the traditional immigrant narrative. It is not obsessed with identity, but rather concerned with presenting a story and a history for its characters and the Dominican Republic.

*** Migritude (Shailja Patel) ~ This continues my respect for relatively unknown authors that we never see grace the display tables of Barnes and Nobles. Shailja Patel is a Kenyan poet, playwright and theatre artist. Migritude is the transcript from one of her spoken word performance peaces. In poetic form, it traces the impacts of colonialism and postcolonialism and her own migration around the world. I’m not much of a reviewer or connoisseur of poetry, but I enjoyed reading the poems very much and found the images and phrasing powerful, beautiful and memorable.


Non-Fiction

*** Theories of Development (Richard Peet and Elaine Hartwick) ~ This book presents an overview of major theories of development (a.k.a. why some countries are poor and some are rich and what to do about it)—neoclassical, sociological, dependency, feminist etc… It does an excellent job of describing the different intellectual assumptions that underly these theories and how it influences the solutions that they advocate. Throughout all of this, the authors present their own view on development. While this book is an great primer on development, it can be at times a bit dull and confusing. The authors try their best to coin the development of these different theories, but sometimes end up listing a bunch of scattered conferences, papers and ideas.

** The Mystery of Capital (Hernando de Soto) ~ De Soto argues that what prevents poor countries from becoming rich is the lack of property law that enable individuals to transform their fixed assets into capital. He explores the history of property rights in America and examines the untapped wealth owned by the poor. De Soto’s assessment of the situation may be too idealistic and overromanticizes the potential of the small micro-businesses but his book still provides an accurate assessment to one of the significant reasons why the poor are still poor.

**** Third Sector Development (Christopher Gunn) ~ This book provides an excellent overview of various third sector organizations—credit unions, community land trusts, traditional nonprofit organizations and cooperatives. It highlights their role in American society and in particular focuses on how these organizations increase and create social surplus in their communities and contribute to development efforts.

*** Culture Jam (Kalle Lasn) ~ Written by the founder of Adbusters, this book describes and critiques our consumer and marketing oriented culture in America. The book explains concepts in a conversational and easy-to-understand tone, though at times it appears to be trying too hard to be cool. In particular, the book emphasizes meme warfare, and the importance of changing American consciousness and attitudes.

*** The Meaning of the City (Jacques Ellul) ~ From Cain’s first city to the new Jerusalem, Jacques Ellul traces the role that the city plays in the Biblical narrative. He highlights the city as a symbol and source of man’s pride, the city’s significance as a work of man’s hands and its importance in the new heavens and earth. While conversational, Ellul’s style and arguments can be hard to follow at times. There were definite sections of the book that were skimmed or “zoned” out as I was reading. That being said, Ellul has some real fire in his prose and his ideas were very provocative and insightful. His Biblical exposition of the city definitely provided a better framework for how I should relate to the city.

*** Not Just the Levees Broke (Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc) ~ Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc is from a working class family whose house and home were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. The first part of this memoir narrates her family’s experience of the disaster, including the multiple day grueling aftermath of waiting to be rescued. The remaining portion of the memoir recounts Phyllis’ emotional life after the hurricane as she copes with her trauma and continues to grow in her faith in God and love and forgiveness for others. This memoir is no literary masterpiece but it manages to be very real, moving and powerful.