Don Corleone and Michael Corleone are two interesting, even admirable, characters to emerge from this novel. It’s easy to see how their qualities haveDon Corleone and Michael Corleone are two interesting, even admirable, characters to emerge from this novel. It’s easy to see how their qualities have influenced Mafia-based fiction and other crime literature.
What compelled me to finish was the race to match in my mind’s eye the plot points and images from the movies. The films may actually surpass the novel’s ability to conjure those same images.
But there are 200-300 pages of subplot that I grew tired of quickly. (That’s about half the book.) It helped flesh out the world, I guess. Some of these subplots were fine (Johnny Fontane’s rise, fall, and return to Hollywood) while others were puzzling (Lucy’s “big vagina” and her reconstruction surgery).
For the same effect, you’re most likely better off just watching the movies....more
I wasn't able to completely finish this ARC before it was archived, but I'm so glad to have read the first half of this book.
This book is as much an uI wasn't able to completely finish this ARC before it was archived, but I'm so glad to have read the first half of this book.
This book is as much an updated primer on the traditional problems of philosophy as it is a collection of original arguments from Chalmers. The author writes clearly and persuasively without diminishing other points of view, and he keeps the denser sections of philosophical arguments toward the end of each section, allowing pretty much anyone to pick up this book and gain something from it.
What makes the traditional problems (of knowledge, of reality, and of value) in need of updating is the invention of virtual reality, writes Chalmers. Even though ancient philosophers have puzzled at these questions since well before our time, the author argues that VR is special because it allows us to come closer to solving these ancient problems.
Potentially the most controversial premise of Chalmers's book is his core thesis: Virtual worlds (VR) are real worlds; they are genuinely inhabited by real objects (that are digital) and by real people ("pure sims" as he calls them); and, based on arguments from the Simulation hypothesis, it is impossible to prove that we are not living in a virtual world of our own.
Nearly the entire first half of the book is dedicated to this question and Chalmers evaluating the arguments for and against it. Certain chapters get into the weeds, while others maintain an overview of the subject. I wish I hadn't spent as much time reading every word of this section and instead pushed through to the middle and beyond, because that's where the really interesting stuff is. Chalmers must first establish the Simulation hypothesis before moving on, so I understand why it is presented the way that it is.
An exciting new book from one of contemporary philosophy's most "out-there" philosophers. ...more
Every chapter had one great line, a truism to sum up the author's feeling toward his subject. But each chapter felt repetitive in a way that made the Every chapter had one great line, a truism to sum up the author's feeling toward his subject. But each chapter felt repetitive in a way that made the book drag on, I hate to say. The essence of the book was what I had expected, and I'm glad to have read it.
On empathy: "We do not feel sorry for them," my mother said sternly. "We understand how they feel."
On books: "Perhaps one of the most elegant examples [of a library] is the Dome Room in the Rotunda at the University of Virginia. If you stand in the center and look in all directions, you will see columns framing magnificent windows with sweeping views. Hidden from your sight line, in an ingenious piece of architectural design, are grand bookshelves radiating out toward the windows like spokes in a great wheel of learning. The expanse of the beautiful Virginia landscape is what is visible, but the words, the scholarship, and the books, though invisible in the moment, are what give the space its meaning."
On courage: "Ultimately, democracy is an action more than a belief. The people's voice, your voice, must be heard for it to have an effect. Currently, many hurdles diminish the power of our collective speech, such as how finance campaigns, our discriminatory voting laws, and the preferred place of moneyed interests in Washington. Despite all the obstacles, I am enough of an optimist to believe that if we come together to speak, and vote, and participate, the nation will bend its path.
[...] I understand that my time to shape and help this world is passing. This is the circle of life. I hope now to inspire others to love this country, to pledge to work hard to make it a healthier and more just place to live."...more
Such a nice story. Makes me wonder what was the last novel I read that made me feel good, or pleasant? Few and far between. This was a great way to brSuch a nice story. Makes me wonder what was the last novel I read that made me feel good, or pleasant? Few and far between. This was a great way to break out of my usual reading patterns and enjoy a book simply through its charm. ...more
“Mr. Wu” and “No Place For Good People” are the stand-outs here.
Ottessa Moshfegh is not afraid to go there. I love her writing, and these stories are“Mr. Wu” and “No Place For Good People” are the stand-outs here.
Ottessa Moshfegh is not afraid to go there. I love her writing, and these stories are all different snacks drawn from the same bag.
For the two stories that I liked most, elements of the first can be seen later in “My Year of Rest and Relaxation.” The second story, which had more of an ensemble cast, is hopefully the seed for a novel yet to be written. ...more
Do the rights outlined in the Second Amendment--that of the freedom to keep and bear arms, as well as to organize a militia, for the purpose of personDo the rights outlined in the Second Amendment--that of the freedom to keep and bear arms, as well as to organize a militia, for the purpose of personal and national security--apply to Black Americans? The answer is, and always has been, a resounding, No.
Carol Anderson's short yet thoroughly researched history on this topic was illuminating for me.
The book makes clear that even before it was codified as the Second Amendment, the US government--throughout its stages as British colonies, a young republic of united states, a renewed union after civil war, and onward through Reconstruction, Civil Rights, and the present day--has never ceased from subjugating "the Black threat" by disarming Black people and leaving them without the legal means to protect themselves against white militias, vigilantes, and law enforcement (which, at the end of the day, are less three distinct groups than one amorphous body designed to uphold white supremacy).
Each of the book's four chapters contains over one hundred endnotes. And while some of the quotations and anecdotes felt rushed and wedged together, the author makes it clear that the history of racial subjugation via the biased withdrawal of Second Amendment rights has been documented in abundance. It is this historical record, which has remained hidden and glossed over for so long, that is finally making itself known in these pages.
While I wish more pages were devoted to analyzing present-day examples, it is clear to me that the aim of the book is to focus on the history of how the Second came to be, and how its origin as a legal device to placate white "fears" of Black uprisings has borne fruit over the past two hundred years.
Here's what really gets me. Throughout American history, when confronted by law enforcement, white men bearing arms have been apprehended, given a fair trial, and may even have been acquitted for their crimes. (James Holmes, George Zimmerman, Dylann Roof, Kyle Rittenhouse.) When Black men, women, and children are confronted by law enforcement, the question of whether they are holding a weapon is hardly even considered--Black people are presumed guilty and are shot, fatally, more times than not. (Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake.) They are never apprehended.
That's what gets my blood boiling, and makes this book especially urgent....more
“Landscape With Flatiron” was the most memorable of the six stories. It made me think about midnight bonfires on the beach and intervals of silence be“Landscape With Flatiron” was the most memorable of the six stories. It made me think about midnight bonfires on the beach and intervals of silence between the lapping waves and hard-blowing wind....more
Tom Roston delivers a compelling case for reading Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five" as both a narrative of and metaphor for PTSD induced by the exTom Roston delivers a compelling case for reading Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five" as both a narrative of and metaphor for PTSD induced by the experiences of war. He then uses this analysis to center "Slaughterhouse Five" as a key influence on a new generation of veterans and how they write about their experiences of war. One does not have to have read the novel recently, or at all, to understand and appreciate the insights that Roston brings to light. As a fan of Vonnegut's other books, this presented a fuller picture of the author for me, and allowed me to better understand what many people consider, and what may well be, his masterpiece....more
Ayana Contreras's deeply personal book is a must-read for lifelong Chicagoans and lovers of vintage soul music. It is told through reminiscences of BlAyana Contreras's deeply personal book is a must-read for lifelong Chicagoans and lovers of vintage soul music. It is told through reminiscences of Black Chicago's economic and musical heyday, primarily the 1960s-70s, with an ever-present urging toward the current generation to pick up the mantle of Black radical imagination and creativity. The author's collection of cultural artifacts--rare issues of soul magazines, photographs of sacred yet crumbling buildings, prints of the first advertisements marketing Black hair-care products created by Black-founded companies--are included to moving effect. And throughout the book the mantra of Afro-optimism, which encourages today's youth to further the culture amidst the limitations of the present, continues to inspire a sense of success and aspiration.
But I can't help but feel that the book was too loose in its structure and focus, often revisiting subjects that had been taken up in earlier chapters, and even repeating stories that had already been told. Many chapters feature deep dives into the history of Chicago record labels and musicians; rather than being informative, however, reading this history felt like being lost within the liner notes of a long out-of-press album.
What also felt at odds with the book's core premise of Afro-optimism was how often a success story ended with dissolution, loss, or erasure. This is of course neither the author's nor the story subjects' fault--if anything, it points to the urgency with which the unique culture of Black Chicago must be preserved, if not saved from deletion. But it pained me to read, over and over, how each example of the pinnacle of Black Chicago culture was eventually dissolved, mismanaged, or--more often than not--erased by white powers.
I feel that I now know more about an overlooked, underserved part of my city and my city's history after reading this book. I just wish that, within the context of an Afro-optimist narrative, the looming specter of failure and erasure were not so present, were not so powerfully and quietly there. But this is the friction against which Afro-optimism must push against, and this book is a testament to the power of what winning this fight can mean.
Thanks to NetGalley for the galley proofs in exchange for an honest review!...more
"There was always just enough virtue in this republic to save it; sometimes none to spare."
I cannot shake how deeply illuminating and unsettling this "There was always just enough virtue in this republic to save it; sometimes none to spare."
I cannot shake how deeply illuminating and unsettling this book was for me. "Wildland" provides the context for the past 20 years of political undoing in America--from 9/11 to the Jan. 6th Capitol insurrection--and, as uncomfortable as it was to read, the insights within these pages are indispensable.
Evan Osnos returned to the US after living nearly a decade abroad in China. The catalyst for this book are the seismic rifts in American politics he noticed once he settled in Washington, D.C. While there are many anecdotes and news pieces from across the country, the book is based in Osnos's connections to three American cities: Chicago, IL; Clarksburg, WV; and Greenwich, CT. These are the roots of Osnos's narrative, and from these three distinct vantage points, we witness a similar unraveling of American culture, community, and politics.
I was most impressed by the author's ability to provide tell-tale stories that both capture the humanity of their subjects while also eliciting a deep sense of empathy and shared anguish among them, too. Our struggles are different in each community: Hedge funders and financiers must contend with their shallow lives and moral erosions; disaffected coal miners must try to comprehend a state that puts money and politics above its own competence and constituents; and segregated residents must try to envision a life for themselves beyond the hood, even as every socio-economic and political force tries to prevent them from doing so.
As many times as I wanted to look away from the reality this book was bringing to my attention, I kept realizing that it was that same willed ignorance to avoid our common anguish that has pushed so many people in this country to its political extremes. This book will leave you tired and speechless; but, if it is effective in its message to fight this lethargic status quo by generating greater political activity within our local communities, then it can be inspiring, too.
A truly eye-opening, disheartening, and yet quietly inspiring book....more
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