38 - Enders Game, by Orson Scottcard, 324 pages, Tom Doherty Associates, 1977
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my colleague Samantha
ELAPSED TIME: 5 days
RATING: Very Good
Written for a teen audience, this book is the original Hunger Games - except Ender Wiggin isn't fighting other humans for food, he's being trained to command the human army against the bugs who have twice attacked earth.
A compelling story makes for quick reading.
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!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
2012-37 - Medical Innovations in Humanitarian Situations, by Jean-Herve Bradol and Claudine Vidal
37 - Medical Innovations in Humanitarian Situations, by Jean-Herve Bradol and Claudine Vidal 224 pages, Medecins Sans Frontieres, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT: Another MSF Book
ELAPSED TIME: 3 Weeks
RATING: Good
This book is not an easy read. A series of essays outlining innovation within MSF and the drivers for it.
- Innovating culture, to speak out within the humanitarian space.
- The development of somewhat flexible medical kits for rapid deployment into different contexts.
- The gathering of epidemiological data in the humanitarian space, with which to make informed decisions and advocate for neglected populations.
- New testing protocols for known diseases, to expand the use of drugs into different contexts.
- Challenging and changing the rules of international drug production and distribution, to make drugs available for patients who may otherwise be unable to afford or access modern medication.
A tough read, and I'd only recommend if you're really interested.
WHY I PICKED IT: Another MSF Book
ELAPSED TIME: 3 Weeks
RATING: Good
This book is not an easy read. A series of essays outlining innovation within MSF and the drivers for it.
- Innovating culture, to speak out within the humanitarian space.
- The development of somewhat flexible medical kits for rapid deployment into different contexts.
- The gathering of epidemiological data in the humanitarian space, with which to make informed decisions and advocate for neglected populations.
- New testing protocols for known diseases, to expand the use of drugs into different contexts.
- Challenging and changing the rules of international drug production and distribution, to make drugs available for patients who may otherwise be unable to afford or access modern medication.
A tough read, and I'd only recommend if you're really interested.
Monday, October 22, 2012
2012-36 - Wizzywig, Portrait of a Serial Hacker, by Ed Piskor
36 - Wizzywig, Portrait of a Serial Hacker, by Ed Piskor, 286 pages, Top Twelve Productions, 2012
WHY I PICKED IT: Stumbled onto it in a book store
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Good
The story of how this kid became a hacker, how obsessed he became, the unintended consequences of seemingly inconsequential decisions, the fear of the establishment, the violations of the criminal justice system, and the struggle that any ex-con must have to find work. I think this story demonstrates the extent to which the establishment will go to protect itself from those looking at open source as the mechanism for societal change.
I don't often read graphic novels, but this was quite enjoyable
WHY I PICKED IT: Stumbled onto it in a book store
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Good
The story of how this kid became a hacker, how obsessed he became, the unintended consequences of seemingly inconsequential decisions, the fear of the establishment, the violations of the criminal justice system, and the struggle that any ex-con must have to find work. I think this story demonstrates the extent to which the establishment will go to protect itself from those looking at open source as the mechanism for societal change.
I don't often read graphic novels, but this was quite enjoyable
Sunday, October 14, 2012
2012-35 - The Borrower, by Rebcca Makkai
35 - The Borrower, by Rebcca Makkai, 324
pages, Penguin Books, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT: Stumbled onto it in a book store
ELAPSED TIME: 1 week
RATING: Meh
This is an interesting story.... Lucy Hull is a young librarian and has been kidnapped and is the kidnapper of her favourite patron: 10-year-old Ian Drake. The story is fairly engaging - why Ian ran away from home (he is unhappy with his parents), why Lucy is okay with it (they're religious zealots who are trying to reprogram what everybody in town is assuming is his future sexual choices), Lucy's Dad's life (he's a Russian mobster who's experiences in communist Russia come out of the story slowly, but quite interestingly).
Makkai is a good writer, who writes some great sentences... Ultimately though, the book is about 75 pages too long...
WHY I PICKED IT: Stumbled onto it in a book store
ELAPSED TIME: 1 week
RATING: Meh
This is an interesting story.... Lucy Hull is a young librarian and has been kidnapped and is the kidnapper of her favourite patron: 10-year-old Ian Drake. The story is fairly engaging - why Ian ran away from home (he is unhappy with his parents), why Lucy is okay with it (they're religious zealots who are trying to reprogram what everybody in town is assuming is his future sexual choices), Lucy's Dad's life (he's a Russian mobster who's experiences in communist Russia come out of the story slowly, but quite interestingly).
Makkai is a good writer, who writes some great sentences... Ultimately though, the book is about 75 pages too long...
Monday, October 8, 2012
2012-34 - Humanitarian Negotiations Revealed, by Claire Magone, Michael Neuman, and Fabrice Weissman
34 - Humanitarian Negotiations Revealed, by Claire Magone, Michael Neuman, and Fabrice Weissman, 258 pages, Columbia University Press, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT: It's an MSF book
ELAPSED TIME: 3 weeks
RATING: Very Good!
Gaining access to distressed populations to provide Medical Relief requires ongoing negotiations and tradeoffs with conflicting parties and interests. Each of the first 12 chapters addresses the tradeoffs required in different contexts. From Myanmar (who didn't want anybody to talk about what was going on), to India (where the political impact of bringing in "western food" when they have their own plan to feed their population was considered neo-colonialist, despite chronic malnourishment in some children). From Afghanistan (where you have to negotiate access with individual warlords), to Somalia (where you have to negotiate the same type of access AND have armed guards from those warlords protect you in their areas).
The authors address the militarization of humanitarian aid, and the impact on relief efforts, and the challenge of témoignage (to bear witness):
a) If you say something that a local warlord doesn't like, your words can be used to exclude you from access to the people who need your help (or worse, put people who helped you in harms way).
b) If you raise awareness of "crimes against humanity," your words can be used to rationalize a "just war."
c) If you say nothing, you risk being in a position of complicity... perhaps ensuring that people have a full belly when their government exterminates them, or more likely enabling a government's lack of care for its own people with no international political pressure to change.
This book is required reading for anybody wanting to do international relief work... and a very good read for everybody else.
WHY I PICKED IT: It's an MSF book
ELAPSED TIME: 3 weeks
RATING: Very Good!
Gaining access to distressed populations to provide Medical Relief requires ongoing negotiations and tradeoffs with conflicting parties and interests. Each of the first 12 chapters addresses the tradeoffs required in different contexts. From Myanmar (who didn't want anybody to talk about what was going on), to India (where the political impact of bringing in "western food" when they have their own plan to feed their population was considered neo-colonialist, despite chronic malnourishment in some children). From Afghanistan (where you have to negotiate access with individual warlords), to Somalia (where you have to negotiate the same type of access AND have armed guards from those warlords protect you in their areas).
The authors address the militarization of humanitarian aid, and the impact on relief efforts, and the challenge of témoignage (to bear witness):
a) If you say something that a local warlord doesn't like, your words can be used to exclude you from access to the people who need your help (or worse, put people who helped you in harms way).
b) If you raise awareness of "crimes against humanity," your words can be used to rationalize a "just war."
c) If you say nothing, you risk being in a position of complicity... perhaps ensuring that people have a full belly when their government exterminates them, or more likely enabling a government's lack of care for its own people with no international political pressure to change.
This book is required reading for anybody wanting to do international relief work... and a very good read for everybody else.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
2012-33 - The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach
33 - The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach, 512 pages, Back Bay Books, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT: Saw it in a book store
ELAPSED TIME: 1 week
RATING: REQUIRED READING
Wow. I truly enjoyed this story. Well written, good characters, and satisfying without oversimplifying.
Mike Schwartz meets Henry Skrimshander when Mike is a freshman in college and Henry is a scrawny kid who loves baseball... and sees a talent that is truly rare. Mike helps Henry get into college and gets him on the road to baseball stardom. Henry's college roommate, Owen, is not your typical jock (his team-mates call him Buddha). Guert Affenlight, the President of the College, falls in love. Pella Affenlight comes to this college to escape an ill-conceived marriage.
This book is their story... from Mike and Henry before Henry starts college, introducing Owen in Henry's freshman year, introducing Guert and Pella in Henry's Junior year... all culminating in a final baseball game that is gripping on its own... but more so in the context of their collective experiences.
My favourite line from the book was easy to choose: "... a soul isn't something a person is born with but something that must be built, by effort and error, study and love."
I recommend this book!
WHY I PICKED IT: Saw it in a book store
ELAPSED TIME: 1 week
RATING: REQUIRED READING
Wow. I truly enjoyed this story. Well written, good characters, and satisfying without oversimplifying.
Mike Schwartz meets Henry Skrimshander when Mike is a freshman in college and Henry is a scrawny kid who loves baseball... and sees a talent that is truly rare. Mike helps Henry get into college and gets him on the road to baseball stardom. Henry's college roommate, Owen, is not your typical jock (his team-mates call him Buddha). Guert Affenlight, the President of the College, falls in love. Pella Affenlight comes to this college to escape an ill-conceived marriage.
This book is their story... from Mike and Henry before Henry starts college, introducing Owen in Henry's freshman year, introducing Guert and Pella in Henry's Junior year... all culminating in a final baseball game that is gripping on its own... but more so in the context of their collective experiences.
My favourite line from the book was easy to choose: "... a soul isn't something a person is born with but something that must be built, by effort and error, study and love."
I recommend this book!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
2012-32 - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John Le Carre
32 - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John Le Carre, 219 pages, Penguin Books, 1963
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my friend Darrin
ELAPSED TIME: 2 weeks
RATING: Meh
This book was ... well, just not my type of book. A perilous assignment for a British spy at the end of a career, in the midst of the cold war. Well written, good characters, and a very well considered plot, but that just wasn't interesting to me. A great read if you like spy novels with good characters. For the rest of us, skip it.
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my friend Darrin
ELAPSED TIME: 2 weeks
RATING: Meh
This book was ... well, just not my type of book. A perilous assignment for a British spy at the end of a career, in the midst of the cold war. Well written, good characters, and a very well considered plot, but that just wasn't interesting to me. A great read if you like spy novels with good characters. For the rest of us, skip it.
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