Xmas Books
I got a haul of good books for Xmas, including the latest volume of the Chronological Edition of Peirce's papers, Romeo Dallaire's book on Rwanda Shake Hands With The Devil, Carter's new book Our Endangered Values, and George Packer's Assassin's Gate. I've read some of all of them...they're all so good that it's impossible to stick to just one of them. I've wanted to read Dallaire's book for a long time, and that's the one I've been focusing on most, but Assassin's Gate is really, really great, too, so far.
The first chapter of AG is really about the recent history of the role of human rights in foreign policy in American politics. Not much to say about it yet beyond this: it's really damn interesting, and Packer establishes credibility right away by dealing with the subject in an admirably objective way. One of the reasons I've always (well, since about the age of 16, anyway) been more sympathetic with the Democrats is because I've always thought that they were the only one of the two parties seriously concerned with human rights. I've never been able to figure out Reagan or the neo-cons. Packer's chapter has forced me to ackowledge that the facts are more complicated than that.
Anyway, I guess that's an endorsement, for what it's worth.
I got a haul of good books for Xmas, including the latest volume of the Chronological Edition of Peirce's papers, Romeo Dallaire's book on Rwanda Shake Hands With The Devil, Carter's new book Our Endangered Values, and George Packer's Assassin's Gate. I've read some of all of them...they're all so good that it's impossible to stick to just one of them. I've wanted to read Dallaire's book for a long time, and that's the one I've been focusing on most, but Assassin's Gate is really, really great, too, so far.
The first chapter of AG is really about the recent history of the role of human rights in foreign policy in American politics. Not much to say about it yet beyond this: it's really damn interesting, and Packer establishes credibility right away by dealing with the subject in an admirably objective way. One of the reasons I've always (well, since about the age of 16, anyway) been more sympathetic with the Democrats is because I've always thought that they were the only one of the two parties seriously concerned with human rights. I've never been able to figure out Reagan or the neo-cons. Packer's chapter has forced me to ackowledge that the facts are more complicated than that.
Anyway, I guess that's an endorsement, for what it's worth.
posted by Winston Smith at
9:26 AM
4 Comments:
Didn't you get any fun books for Christmas? As in, anything not found in the non-fiction section?
Although I also got "Our Endangered Values" for Christmas. And gave "Child Of The Appalachian Coalfields" (Robert Byrd)
M,
No, no fun books. Though we just went out and bought "The Golden Compass," first book in the His Dark Materials series, which is, apparently, a kind of atheist's Narnia...
So the Byrd book is good? Have you read Chapell's _I Am One Of You Forever_?
I liked "The Golden Compass" very much, although I thought that the rest of the series didn't live up to the promise of the first book. Which means the rest of the series was good, but not as good as the first book.
Athiest? Not quite sure I see that. There is a LOT of religion in the "His Dark Materials" series, and a some theology to add to that. In fact I was boggled by the idea that they were going to remove the religious themes if they made it into a movie.
And although I gave Byrd's book for Christmas, I did not receive it like I thought I would, so I have to borrow it or go out and get it myself. However, my mom says Byrd writes exactly like he talks.
And never read any Chapell. Should I look said author up?
Oh, I actually heard about His Dark Materials in a New Yorker article that described it (I think and roughly) as an atheists' Narnia. I'm only about 80 pp in so I have no opinion of my own yet...but yr right, there's a good bit of religion in it.
I really liked the Chapell (Chappel? Chappell?) book (_I am one of you forever_)...Appalachian magical realism. I recommend it, but my taste in literature is something to be regarded with suspicion...
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