48 - The Life You Can Save, by Peter Singer, 176 pages, Random House, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: Read an article of his on Al Jazeera, and wanted to read more.
ELAPSED TIME: 2 weeks
RATING: Good
Singer takes us through the moral reasons for giving to humanitarian relief - to save a life. He systematically breaks down the reasons why people don't give, and implores people to give more.
Interesting notes:
a) People give more when they think others have given more... so unlike what is taught in the Abrahamic faiths and modern culture where we are encouraged not to not talk about charity, he says the opposite.
b) He says that we shouldn't give because we're worried about wastage - there are organizations that track how much money is spent and how effectively... and they can be used as a guidepost.
c) He dismisses the "fair share" argument pretty compellingly - with a hypothetical situation of 10 kids drowning in a pond, and 10 adults able to help... but if only 5 step up to help, should they only save 1 life each ("it's only fair") or should they save two each because it's the right thing to do? If that's the case, shouldn't we give as much as we reasonably can afford?
d) He proposes an formula that is remarkably like progressive taxation, to determine how much he thinks each person should give - and what that would yield if only the top 10% of income earners in the USA followed it (more than $140 billion).
Overall, it was a bit preachy, and he recommends some NGOs that I don't personally love... but his fundamental premise is worthwhile, and he raises some good points (even for people who currently give money to other causes).
This blog is a simple review of every book that I read... For all books I’ll tell you why I picked it, how long it took me to read it, and give it a rating (burn it, not good, meh, good, very good, and required reading). I ask (encourage?) all readers of my blog to post their thoughts of any of the books in my comments :). Thanks!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
2011-XX - Extreme Rambling, by Mark Thomas
XX - Extreme Rambling, by Mark Thomas, 336 pages, Ebury Press, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my friend Chris H.
ELAPSED TIME: 7 days to read 49 pages
RATING: Meh
So I have been in a reading funk for a while... Nothing started much less finished in a month-and-a-half. With a series of flights ahead of me, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get back into it, and this book has been on my shelf for over a month waiting for me.
Sadly, despite my interest in travel writing, and my interest in world issues. This book, by an English comedian who walked the length of the barrier that Israel has erected on stolen Palestinian land just did not succeed in pulling me in.
It's not a knock against Thomas, who I'm sure shared some interesting insights... I just think I may not have been the target audience of the book (perhaps under-informed people who need the humour of his style would be better suited), or it may just be where my head is at this point.
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my friend Chris H.
ELAPSED TIME: 7 days to read 49 pages
RATING: Meh
So I have been in a reading funk for a while... Nothing started much less finished in a month-and-a-half. With a series of flights ahead of me, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get back into it, and this book has been on my shelf for over a month waiting for me.
Sadly, despite my interest in travel writing, and my interest in world issues. This book, by an English comedian who walked the length of the barrier that Israel has erected on stolen Palestinian land just did not succeed in pulling me in.
It's not a knock against Thomas, who I'm sure shared some interesting insights... I just think I may not have been the target audience of the book (perhaps under-informed people who need the humour of his style would be better suited), or it may just be where my head is at this point.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)