Strongly recommend this to almost anyone mildly interested in reading nonfiction. Not the best I've ever read, (5.0) Amazing story told amazingly well
Strongly recommend this to almost anyone mildly interested in reading nonfiction. Not the best I've ever read, but it's certainly up there. Louie Zamperini's life was fascinating from childhood and only got more interesting from there as he survived his bomber being ditched in the ocean, floating over 40 days on a raft, being captured and beaten by the Japanese in several POW camps, and and and.
I could go on, but I just think you should read it....more
(5.0) Excellently researched and told stories of North Koreans from Chongjin
Excellent, but a couple of minor flaws almost made it a 4.5. The North Kor(5.0) Excellently researched and told stories of North Koreans from Chongjin
Excellent, but a couple of minor flaws almost made it a 4.5. The North Koreans' stories were so powerful and well-told that it still deserves a top rating.
I learned so much from reading this book. I don't think I've read a book by a journalist that was actually well-written (well, except for Maziar Bahari--Then They Came for Me is EXcellent!--, but he was writing about himself). But this is better than well-written. It's fantastic. I learned a ton about daily life in North Korea in the past few decades, as well as a lot of history on the Korean Peninsula. But not just that, we hear the powerful stories of several brave North Koreans who all come from the same home town.
I loved this Sandor Petofi poem that one of the North Koreans said he used to comfort himself (not sure how comforting it could have been, but it was so appropriate to his situation it almost makes you cry):
Liberty and love These two I must have. For my love I'll sacrifice My life. For liberty I'll sacrifice My Love.
Wow. The same guy was also a huge fan of 1984 (he had rare access to Western works while still in North Korea because of his status in university).
One thing I was shocked by was that there is/was a crystal meth epidemic in North Korea.
I also loved the final paragraph of her epilogue. So good.
Only after finishing the book did I understand the meaning of the title, but it'll probably be very obvious to you. I think it's a wonderfully and thoughtfully chosen title for a wonderful and thoughtful book.
There are several sources she cited in her acknowledgments that I'm going to check out. A likely candidate is Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader by Bradley Martin.
The only flaws (aside from typical ereader bugs like hyphenation) were organizational. A few of the characters were introduced fairly late in the book and we weren't well alerted to the fact. So I had to reread parts to check if she had mentioned them before. I would've appreciated at least knowing their names in advance so it was easier to tell when a new narrative began. Similarly, Demick seems to have aimed for seamless transitions from one narrative to another (so that for a few pages I thought that Mrs. Song was Jun-sang's mother). Well, they were a little too seamless in my opinion. A common approach was to go from narrative to North Korean history and back down into another narrative. Clever, but a little hard to keep up at times.
NOTE: do not read the Granta Books UK epub edition. There were numerous errors that seemed to be corrected in the Random House US edition.
Nits: - used 'myself' as non-reflexive subject (not even an object, ugh!): "When I finally got a visa to visit Pyongyang in 2005, myself and a colleague were led along a well-worn path of monuments..." It's so awkward, I don't see how this could've made it in...and it's only on page 13! - she parenthetically tells us that a temperature of 40 degrees below was in Fahrenheit...but 40 below is the same temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius! :) - By far, most of the time she refers to North Korea as the "fatherland" but called it "motherland" about five times. Not sure why she did that; I have a feeling it was an oversight. - In the notes/acknowledgments she says she quotes several sources frequently, but there are no notes to that effect in the text. She should've used footnotes; it borders on plagiarism. I was actually curious about where these quotations were but couldn't connect quotations and author. One of the authors she says she quoted the most was Lankov, but I don't think I saw any mention of his name in the body of the text itself....more
I'd heard Maziar on Fresh Air and wanted to hear more of the story of his imprisonment in an Iranian political prison. I(5.0) Powerful story well told
I'd heard Maziar on Fresh Air and wanted to hear more of the story of his imprisonment in an Iranian political prison. I was pleasantly rewarded. I'm not sure how much of the quality is due to his co-author, Aimee Molloy, but I'm curious about other books she's worked on (though none actually sound that interesting to me now).
Maziar comes from a politically outspoken family so it was not so much an accident or misfortune that he was imprisoned, more his birth right. Thanks to lots of pressure from many directions, the government let him go after just short of four months, but he tells of his experiences very well. I felt as I was in his mind (fortunately not his body) while these events were taking place. Insightful, scary, frustrating, inspiring at once.
I was interested to read that his way of coping with solitary confinement was to exercise his mind and body: he'd do pushups, situps, raise his feet in the air and run or bicycle (and imagine his routes through the streets of London where he lived). He also created crossword puzzles in Persian and English, repeated the names of his loved ones and was visited by the voices of his father and sister (both of whom had both been imprisoned and later passed away). He certainly has the mind and will to survive such an awful experience, and the memory to be able to share it with the world afterwards.
Zeitoun is a Syrian-American who runs a house painting business with his Southern born wife, Kathy. He decides to stay duriJust a very well-told story
Zeitoun is a Syrian-American who runs a house painting business with his Southern born wife, Kathy. He decides to stay during Hurricane Katrina to care for the business, their properties and their clients' hosues, but Kathy and the kids flee the city. For a while he's a hero, helping to save people and pets stranded in their own homes. But he is later picked up and thrown in jail, assumed to be a looter and then a terrorist. Much of the narrative is his experience in a makeshift prison erected just post Katrina. You'll tear through this because it's just so well told. You may find renewed faith in humanity, though probably not in government. :(...more
Both sides of the 'creative' derivatives transactions are shocking
derivatives trader for Morgan Stanley in the 90s, with some updates from the recent Both sides of the 'creative' derivatives transactions are shocking
derivatives trader for Morgan Stanley in the 90s, with some updates from the recent financial crisis. So eye-opening, frightening and entertaining at the same time. Makes the clients (often huge companies, municipalities, pension funds) look like fools for being suckered into these derivatives deals where the ratings agencies were coerced/manipulated into investment-grade ratings when the entire investment could be at risk even if the original products' sellers do not default....more
Crazy/obsessed wreck divers who explore and identify a WWII U-boat off the coast of New Jersey. Part adventure, part det(4.0) (Wreck) divers take note
Crazy/obsessed wreck divers who explore and identify a WWII U-boat off the coast of New Jersey. Part adventure, part detective story, many parts tragedy. Just a gripping read, and a reminder to not do anything these guys do when you go diving (including 300ft dives, removing BCDs to enter very tight enclosed spaces etc. Get to know some of the characters well....more
(4.0) Best book written by journalist that I've read in quite some time
In fact, not sure I can come up with a better one. I guess it's cause he was wr(4.0) Best book written by journalist that I've read in quite some time
In fact, not sure I can come up with a better one. I guess it's cause he was writing about himself instead of about a topic from a few articles expanded into 300 pages.
Adelstein introduces us to the world of the police beat newspaper journalist in Japan. We learn a lot about the condoned and condemned crime that goes on, as well as how the police and journalists work together and against one another to investigate or cover up what goes on. Pretty eye-opening and frank narrative of his exploits and foibles as best I can tell. Really interesting stuff.
However, it is much more about being a journalist than about the criminal activity itself. In case you really want to know all about the yakuza, sounds like maybe you should turn to the fan magazines instead (how crazy is it that there are fan magazines about organized crime?)....more
I don't see any acknowledgment of assistance in writing this book, and since he graduated summa from (4.0) Well-written account of a trying experience
I don't see any acknowledgment of assistance in writing this book, and since he graduated summa from Carnegie Mellon, he's probably a bright guy, so I think he may have actually written this himself. He also gets pretty jargony (and specific!) about several of his more harrowing maneuvers out on mountaintops. I wouldn't expect a ghost writer to allow that to happen. If he did indeed write this himself, it makes the read that much better, cause it is quite well written.
He walks us through his fateful day mountain biking, then canyoneering until his arm gets pinned between a large boulder (that he shakes loose) and the wall of the canyon he's descending. After days sitting in place, failing to sleep, shivering through the night and eventually experiencing hallucinations that blur the line between dream, psychosis and time travel. Eventually a vision of his son in a red shirt (he was childless at the time), convinced him he was going to make it. That he had to make it. But with only a dull multi-tool he couldn't find a way to amputate his arm (he'd already tried lifting the boulder off his arm and carving/banging enough of the boulder apart to free his pinned arm). Well, since he's around the tell the tale, we know he eventually overcomes and finds a way to free himself after five days, at least two of which were survived on his own urine alone.
Every other chapter was an hour-by-hour account of his ordeal in the Utah canyon. The other half were a longer thread of his development as an outdoorsman, focusing in particular on his near misses, accidents and failures in judgment. Like his proudest moments were when he was closest to death. He does seem to suggest that he had this all coming. It's not clear how much he learned from the experience about taking proper precautions, though he does learn never to leave on a solo expedition without being very clear with at least someone what his intended itinerary was. As this thread catches up with the Utah incident, he starts to give us the narrative of his friends and family who become increasingly worried about his condition (when he fails to go to friends' parties, show up at work etc.), and eventually recounts the search and rescue effort that eventually saved his life.
I thought this structure was fantastic. He seems to acknowledge inspiration on this organization to Quentin Tarantino...not that he'd notice/care or would need the ego massaging (though in truth, doesn't Tarantino just steal his stuff from others anyway?). It enhanced the reading experience (as opposed to say, The Murder Room, where such interleaving just gets in the way)....more
Oh my goodness, this was one of my favorite reading experiences ever. I'm not sure I can objectively explain it, but(5.0) I want you to read this book
Oh my goodness, this was one of my favorite reading experiences ever. I'm not sure I can objectively explain it, but I laughed, I nearly cried, my palms sweated, I was just riveted (ask my wife). This memoir is so well written (Agassi gave effusive praise to J.R. Moehringer, who helped him record his history and transform it into this masterpiece, and I'm sure much of the credit must go to him) that I just couldn't handle it. It is such an emotional ride--perhaps only 0.01% of what it's like to actually be a professional athlete--that every free moment I had I wanted to return to Andre-world.
I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud while reading this. The coincidences, the juxtapositions, the ironies, the cute courtships....There was humor in so many forms. It was all so sincere though. I guess that's what struck me the most. How open, honest and sincere the book feels. And given what he reveals in it, I have little reason to believe that anything is exaggerated, stretched or glossed over.
But it's just so well written. I never had to guess who he was referring to at any point. He made so many connections between points in his life, but they were effortless to recall and connect. I've just never been able to follow a narrative so effortlessly, feeling I was completely on top of everything going on, past and present. It was just such a pleasure to read, even aside from the actual events taking place.
One interesting typographical note: (at least in the ePUB version I read) There was no use of quotation marks to set off dialog. Without having read the book, I would've thought this was insanity and ridiculed anyone playing any sort of editorial role in the production...but it totally works. I can't explain it, but it probably comes back to how perfectly written the book is....more
The tail end of the boom in bond trading at Salomon. Michael Lewis' day job was selling foul-smelling (if not toxicPeek at Salomon Brothers in the 80s
The tail end of the boom in bond trading at Salomon. Michael Lewis' day job was selling foul-smelling (if not toxic) bonds to unwitting investors so that the Salomon traders could make losses disappear. Great inside view on what it was like in mortgage, government and commercial paper back in the 80s. Some of the characters who made a lot of money back in the day. Also a good background in the types of activity that resulted in the recent financial crisis. Of course, also a lot of fun to read. Highly recommended!...more
My only complaint is that it was difficult at times to keep track of who was who. Sorkin captured the franticAmazing Recapitulation of Armageddon 2008
My only complaint is that it was difficult at times to keep track of who was who. Sorkin captured the frantic, uncertain weeks of 2008 that saw upheaval among the too-big-to-fail banks so well that he jumps from meeting to phone call to airplane to helicopter at a breakneck pace. I take it he aimed to tell the story in strict chronological order, giving us a picture of events that no one at the time could have had. We see all sides of negotiations to save Bear, Lehman, AIG, Wachovia, and Morgan, including the federal government.
Thankfully, Sorkin does provide us with an index of the major participants, listed by the organization they represent. But as this number looks like it runs to about 100 people, it's still a bit tricky to keep track! It also suggests that he must have interviewed hundreds of people to get the amazingly complete narrative that he has recreated.
We get to see just how desperate the firms, the Treasury, the Fed were to rescue the financial system from the meltdown that reckless leverage had made nearly inevitable. He also throws in brief backgrounds on the major actors, which--though interesting--doesn't contribute much to the narrative. Nevertheless, an amazing piece of work that I highly recommend....more
About one of the lost boys from southern Sudan (before events in Darfur). Weaves together his experience in the US and as a refugee, walking from SudaAbout one of the lost boys from southern Sudan (before events in Darfur). Weaves together his experience in the US and as a refugee, walking from Sudan to (eventually) Kenya. Told with what appears to me to be the voice of Valentino as a boy, perhaps even maturing as the narrative continues. One of my favorite reads recently!...more
memoir of woman raped in college. Extraordinarily powerful, insightful. Demonstrates a woman with power, will and determination, but also the traumatimemoir of woman raped in college. Extraordinarily powerful, insightful. Demonstrates a woman with power, will and determination, but also the traumatic effects on a survivor of violence...more
(5.0) So much fun! (may need to be a little computer-geeky to really love it)
Crazy cool true story about an astronomer-turned-sysadmin at Berkeley in (5.0) So much fun! (may need to be a little computer-geeky to really love it)
Crazy cool true story about an astronomer-turned-sysadmin at Berkeley in the 1980s who decides to track down a 75 cent accounting discrepancy in server usage, and turns into a year-long hunt to track down a sneaky computer spy operating for the KGB. Covers several severe holes in Unix security, but emphasizes that the weakest link in security is almost always from human operators.
Very engaging read, tore right through it. It almost reads like a mystery, detective or spy novel, but it's so much more exciting because it's all true. Told by Cliff Stoll, the self-appointed cybersecurity guard who was investigated the discrepancy and eventually tracked the spy/hacker. He got little/no help from many law enforcement agencies who owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Really appreciated hearing his thought process, his approach and reaction to what found.
I recommend this to almost every computer geek I meet or hire (or try to). Strongly recommended and really wish I could read it again for the first time. :)...more
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