<i>The Bonfire of the Vanities</i> by Tom Wolfe

I had trouble believing this book was set in the 1980s for about the first 300 pages. Wolfe's descriptions and people seemed out of the 1950s or 60s. It wasn't until a character was said to have AIDS that it really became clear to me. From then on I was able to place the story in the correct temporal context.

I struggled a bit with the outcome of the story. Despite the NYC that Wolfe was trying to show where the old-boys-club is breaking down, I have a significant amount of trouble believing that its true. Wolfe painted money---or having money---as being fundamentally useless if your crime takes place in the Bronx, but I would think, even in such a case as described in this book that money would be able to get the individual out of trouble. It may not be legal, it may be underhanded, but it seems more likely for an anonymous rich man (not Paris Hilton) to buy his way out.

I was frustrated by Sherman's lack of a backbone in doing the right thing: going to the cops when it first happened. Wolfe had to put "the other woman" in the car with him, or else Sherman *would have* gone to the cops, as he was one who believed in and respected authority. I was still, though, frustrated with the guilt that he felt, but I guess the situation was intended to show: although Sherman was a bear with bonds he couldn't stand up to himself otherwise.

At the end Sherman is able to break through that barrier, but it seems a bit inauthentic to me: I can't believe demonstrators would be allowed in the courtroom. That may have a modern bias based on the current security checkpoints. Aside from that, the judge and the jury are intended to decide based on the facts, not on the emotion of the crowd.

Wolfe's writing in some respects remind me of Charles Dickens. Excessive detail that makes you wonder if he is getting paid by the word. Wolfe also uses his metaphors over and over again so you understand *quite clearly* that the Bronx courthouse is an island fortress. He does carry the reader along on a brisk ride, and I was able to stay reasonably engaged with the characters throughout the book.

The only other books of Wolfe's I've read are non-fiction. Looking back, I rated both of those---The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and Hooking Up---well and have memories of liking each. Based on that, I would have to say that I like Wolfe's non-fiction better than his fiction.

5/10

<i>Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things</i> by William McDonough and Michael Braungart

I like the material of this book---both the content and the material the pages were made of. The entire book is made of PET. As Dave said, you can read it in the tub. I never took advantage of that property.

The book is made out of PET to demonstrate a new idea in design (the design of everything---products, houses, cars, rugs, etc.) where the item when "used up" is not "thrown away" or downcycled (the authors' replacement term for recycling since most products that are recycled do not become products of the same quality of the original since the materials being recycled degrade on each cycle), but is instead completely reused in the same product it appeared in originally. Or the material becomes a "technical nutrient"---a material that took a lot of time and energy to extract originally and therefor is valuable if it can be maintained. With most current materials this is not possible due to chemicals used in processing. It turns out not to be very good for one to wear a shirt made out of old plastic bottles due to the chemicals used in bottle making---they were never intended to be worn against the skin.

The authors propose that designers consider this as they come up with product and choose materials and processes that are appropriate for long-term reuse. I like this idea, but I see it as very difficult to actually change, as even when pilot tests are run in large companies and prove these ideas out, the inertia of the management chain makes it very disheartening to think about.

The book is well written and easy to read. I like the brightness of the PET pages as well. The biggest fault I see with the book is that it doesn't give much of a call to action. Nothing really tells me what I can do as a consumer to improve the situation.

7/10

<i>The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts</i> by Maxine Hong Kingston

This book was again recommended by Slate.com. It was given as an example of a memoir where fantasy and history are mixed to better convey the memories. Kingston does this by seeing herself, for a portion of the book, as Mu Lan, the female Chinese warrior, avenging the deaths in her village. One of the interesting aspects of the book, demonstrated by this, is the tie to the old world of China through her parent's stories and beliefs. Her parents do not think of the US as their home: home is China, even for all the children (all of them born in the US). It isn't until the communists completely change the lives of the villagers in China that the parents gave up on returning and bought chairs to replace the fruit crates in the kitchen.

Related to that, was the use of the term "ghost" for any Americans. I know in Hong Kong the term "gweilo" is used (derogatorily) for whites and means "ghost". It seems on the west coast in Chinatown, it was used to refer to all things American: black, white, otherwise. Anything not Chinese.

The two cultures colliding in Kingston's head appeared difficult for her to reconcile. She had the history, culture and stories of China as strongly in her life as if she was in China, including the attitudes toward women (girls are worth nothing; men can have multiple wives). She was, though, interacting in the American world with "ghost teachers" and pleasing them with the work she was able to do.

Kingston's writing is strong, vivid and precise. I felt her angst and shame as I read. I enjoyed the stories about her mother's life: about becoming a doctor in China; about forcing her sister to see her (her mother's sister's) estranged husband; about her reaction to retirement and an empty house (working in the California fields as a day laborer picking tomatoes). Her mother is a strong woman, even pushing to the front of a memoir about childhood.

8/10

<i>Unreliable Memories</i> by Clive James

I am struck by how many personal histories of current British personalities include intensely remembered tales of mutual masturbation. at ages of about 6 to 10. Stephen Fry has such a mention in his autobiography. And Clive James, though really Australian, includes one here. I can swear I've read others, as well.

I hadn't heard of Clive James until recently when some essays and interviews by him began appearing on Slate.com. The recommendation for his memoirs also came from Slate.

The book covers James's boyhood, adolescence and young adulthood in Australia. I am reminded again, as I was when I read Bryson's In a Sunburned Country that it is purely by good luck that anyone survives in Australia. There are so many things that can kill you. James tells stories of his near misses, paranoid moments and petrified situations. Many of them, though, seem to be brought on by his own actions, inattentiveness or negligence.

James is a funny and engaging writer. He writes regrettably about his callous actions toward his motion, using his writing as a therapy for laying bare the insolence of his past. (I have a feeling that many writers use memoirs to do just this.) He is almost exasperated at his own past actions---seeing clearly his mis-steps and mistakes with the clarity of hindsight. Though he regrets some of his past, he has resigned himself to accept it---though not fully---placing blame on the circumstances rather than people (except for a few bad teachers).

The stories that make up the book are great. I particularly liked his tale of tunneling up the backyard ("Little kids ruin everything") and those from his stint in the National Service. He tells the stories with humor and comments on how these experiences still influence him today.

James spent much of his young life doing little but angering his mother. This work, in part, seems to try to make amends for that by bringing meaning to his own past; making it clearer for himself, while providing excellent stories for us to enjoy. Highly recommended.

10/10

<i>Katahdin: An Historic Journey</i> by John W. Neff

I purchased this book for my dad as a birthday gift. He read much of it while he was sitting on the edge of a lake in Maine. I read much of it while sitting on a bus between Providence and Pawtucket, RI. He enjoyed it, but thought it was a bit repetitive. I have similar feelings.

Neff collected and organized all the stories and histories he could find about Mount Katahdin. This starts with Native American stories and tales of the first explorers to the region. One of the more interesting things to note about this point in Katahdin's history is that the first recorded ascent of the mountain wasn't until 1804. As a comparison, Mount Washington in New Hampshire had its first recorded climb in 1642.

Neff continues from there, including the logging history, the background of every camp trail and road in the area, as well as a summary of the drive of Gov. Baxter to create a park around the mountain for everyone in the state to enjoy (he purchased much of the land with his own money then gave it to the state). He glosses over the holdouts to Baxter's purchases of land (my dad said he can now see why some Mainers aren't too keen on Baxter), choosing instead to show Baxter as an unerring (probably not) and deeply committed (very true) protector of Maine's north woods.

Neff does tend to repeat stories, mostly as a result of the way the book is split into sections and chapters; including history, campsites, trails and "inspiration." Thoreau's trips to Katahdin, for instance, are described at least twice: once in the history and once in "inspiration." The writing also reflected that Neff was gathering stories form all corners of the state: it tended to be choppy and a bit rambling.

All in all, I think this book would be a good companion for travel through the Katahdin area and better as a book where portions are read here and there rather than as a single narrative all the way through.

6/10

<i>Happiness</i> by Matthieu Ricard

The recommendation for this author came from my advisor. This book was much different than the other book on Zen Buddhism I have read: Watt's The Way of Zen. Watt covers more context and background for Zen Buddhism, where Ricard covers more of the application. Ricard includes exercises for improving one's thoughts and actions in context with the world. The exercises are good, but I would have to own the book (I got it from the library) so I could use it as a reference while practicing them.

Ricard focuses much of the text on compassion and using feelings of compassion to overcome negative emotions and generate true happiness for one's self.Partnered with that, is looking at negative emotions (anger, fear, jealousy, etc.) when they enter your mind as a way to break them apart. I've been trying the second and have found it to be some help as a way to stay focused on problems rather than people's attitudes/ignorance.

I would have liked for Ricard to have discussed further how to deal with more complicated judgements about producing happiness in others and showing compassion. For example, does engaging in aspects of modern society (marketing for example) increase happiness in the world? Also, I would have liked to see how one can resolve such actions with more compassionate goals or desires in life.

Otherwise, the book is well written. Ricard mixes in appropriate stories to demonstrate points that he is making. He also cites a number of modern psychological and brain imaging studies that support his statements and recommendations. Buddhism appears to have practices that are difficult to describe in text in a meaningful manner. Ricard, though, does well by adding the exercises to help the reader understand how the principles he describes can be used.

If you want to learn the context, history and tradition of Buddhism, pick up Watt's The Way of Zen (I may have an e-copy around if you are interested). If you are looking for more practical application and the relevance to today's society, read this book.

7/10

<i>The Diamond Age</i> by Neal Stephenson

I really liked this book. I really disliked the ending. It reminded me of the ending of Fahrenheit 451---sort of the idea that nothing bad can end up coming of this. All will be well because we deem it so. Frankly, though, I am not sure what type of ending I would have preferred. Maybe tragedy---with Nell dying or sacrificing herself---like 100 Years of Solitude or Stranger in a Strange Land. Maybe it would have been better to know the end from the beginning, like with Vonnegut or The Virgin Suicides.

The Primer was an awesome imaginary creation. Its ability to teach, learn, incorporate and adjust was very, very cool. This is what computers should be doing. It was too bad, in some regards, that there needed to be a human doing the work behind the scenes. But the consistency of the human seemed to make the difference, giving Nell the ability to stick with the Primer and learn more than the other girls.

The mix of Victorian and SciFi elements is always a fun juxtaposition for my mind. It think instantly of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and The Wild, Wild West (the TV show, not the movie with Will Smith). With all of these, and especially here, the mix of elegance with technology is very appealing to me. The Victorian imagery (not necessarily its rigidity) with its detail and elegance seems to be the perfect visualization of complex thoughts that are intricately and beautifully put together. It could be argued, though that the Victorians provided a complicated exterior when one wasn't needed (form not following function), but it provided an aesthetic of thought, which today could be, maybe best represented by a circuit board.

Overall, the writing was strong and the characters were well established. I, of course, liked the engineer (but not how he and his group treated women: their place was in the home). The ending, though, was hurried. I liked the tale told by the Primer and was often looking to get back to it when I was reading about the real world. I loved watching Nell learn. This is well recommended.

8/10