Short notes on books I read recently, approximately one book a month...
2009:
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne
Lamott
This little book is an inspiring collection of brief pieces on various aspects
of writing. It focuses mainly on creative, fictional writing, though academic writers can get
something out of it as well. However, there is something in the way it is written that makes
its reader long for a chance to let one's creative juices flowing by simply sitting down
and writing one word after another. I ended up fantasizing about participating in this
year's NaNoWriMo.
(May)
God: A biography by Jack Miles
I started this book years
ago but somehow it got misplaced and I never got around to finishing it till now. The
premiss of this book is that if we approach the Bible (more specifically the Hebrew Bible)
as great literature, we might be interested in using literary analysis to study the
development of its main character, God. Therefore, this book follows God chronologically as
a literary character and tells the story of the Bible as one of character developmnent. The
author, who by the way was affiliated with the Claremont Colleges until very recently, got a
Pulitzer for this book. It is chockful of interesting comments on the nature of God, the
nation of Israel as a single character of the Bible, the nature of God's relationship to
humanity. Many technical and more specialist notes are included at the end, making this a
rich text full of many many things to ponder on. I may come back to it one
day...(April)
I Wish Someone Had Told Me: A Realistic Guide to Early
Motherhood by Nina Barrett
A book I should have read a couple months ago! It is
easy to read and in fact would be very comforting to a first time mother who finds that new
motherhood is quite different from what she expected. I read it very quickly and really
wished that I had gotten my hands on it sooner; it would have saved me some worries.
(April)
What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the
First Five Years of Life by Lise Eliot
This book was suggested in an online
forum and I thought that it would be a good read, given that I now have a tiny little one of
my own. The book gives the reader all that it promises, and it is a well-written book though
at times I was not really much into the tecnical details. It is written by a neuroscientist
and therefore the science it is based on is rather up to date. Moreover the reader who is
herself a new mom can identify with the author as she brings up her own child's
developmental stages and her own experiences being a new mother. A good read as well as a
possible reference for those of us who want to know. (March)
The God of Small Things: A Novel by Arundhati Roy
The
story of twins Rahel and Estha whose lives as young children go through immense changes due
to small people and small coincidences. The language Roy uses is almost intoxicating, and
the book at points reads like we are reading someone's childhood memories from an old diary.
The sense of wonder in young children that seeps through many of the earlier pages is
eventually replaced by what I can only call horror; the story is dramatic and ultimately
disturbing. (February)
2008:
Open House: Of Family, Friends, Food, Piano Lessons, and the Search
for a Room of My Own by Patricia J. Williams
Williams is a law professor, an
African American, a middle aged single mom. In this book she collects together all threads
of her life and writes to all of us about more than just being herself. It was a pleasure to
read this intelligent and sensitive woman's musings about topics ranging from motherhood to
race; a pleasant yet thought-invoking read. (November)
Mathematicians in Love by Rudy Rucker
Every now and then
I come across a novel about mathematicians or a book that fits nicely into the category of
math-fiction and I just have to read
it! Rudy Rucker is a sci-fi writer but before he turned himself over to writing full time,
he used to teach computer science at San Jose State. Therefore naturally his fiction often
involves mathematical and pseudo-mathematical ideas. This particular novel is one where
several of the main characers, including the narrating Bela, are all professional
mathematicians. Even the aliens we meet see themselves as mathematicians. Moreover the main
story line itself is basically and crucially mathematical: The two main characters, Bela and
Paul, and their common PhD advisor Roland work on a mathematical theory which can help
predict the future. Bela andx Paul are in love, and throughout the novel, compete over the
affections of Alma, a definitely nonmathematical young woman. Along the way we learn of the
origin of our own world, and it involves a giant female jellyfish; for more on this you need
to read the novel itself! I really liked Humelocke, the alternate-universe version of
Berkeley, California, and especially enjoyed the familiarity that came from having the main
characters be academic mathematicians; this one definitely goes on my list of math fiction
that I will read again. (October)
Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth
by by Jenny McCarthy
This is one of the many pregnancy books I read in the last few
months but it was perhaps the most fun one to read. The author is a Hollywood figure but the
book comes off as sincere and personal as can be expected. It provides a humorous look at the
changes a woman's body goes through during the nine months of pregnaqncy and includes fun
anecdotes about the author's own experience being pregnant. A good antidote to the anxieties one can fall into reading all the What-to-Expect kinds of books.
(September)
Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama, and Worth The Fighting For by John McCain
One of these two books was
sent to each incoming Pomona freshman, and having volunteered to run a discussion on the
summer reading when they arrived I had to read both of them. I was excited about this
reading obligation, I thought that this would help me in getting a bit more of an insight on
the two men running for the presidency in the upcoming Presidential election. In fact bvoth
books do provide their readers with some insight on the two men, if only via the way they
wish to portray themselves. Both public figures, they know that their writings will be
scrutinized for clues about their leadership, character and personality. But it is
interesting how some personal qualities seep through the careful writing and the rewriting
process.
In the end the readings and the following discussions on them did not change my mind about
the two men much. However I still think the time was time well spent.
(July-August)
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
This is
a collection of reflections, anecdotes and other brief aphorisms, similar in tone to many self-help books out there. However the fresh voice of the authors
and the diversity of the anecdotesd makes it quite a pleasant read. People might get a good idea of the tone of the book by watching the famous conductor Benjamin Zander talk about music and the art of possibility at a
TED lecture. I read the book as a prelude to my participation at the Boot Camp For Profs. The
idea of being open to possibilities and developing one's skills to bring this openness out in others was the main theme, and fit perfectly with the goals of
the boot camp.
(June)
Why Privacy Isn't Everything: Feminist Reflections on Personal Accountability by Anita L. Allen
This is a collection of
essays on the topic of privacy and the limits on privacy that the society imposes on its constituents. As can be gleaned easily from its title the book
supports the idea that accountability in our private affairs is an important concept and is vital to the correct functioning of our society. The author
discusses privacy and accountability in various contexts, including health care and basic family relations. There is a lot to chew on here, and the author's
personal reflections along with her more research-based perspective make this a great foundation for discussions around privacy and its boundaries.
(May)
The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle
A novel I had wanted to read for some time, this book tells the story of two
SoCal couples. The white upper middle class couple lives a typical life in a Los Angeles suburb. The Mexican immigrant couple on the other hand is just
living in the bushes right down the road from their gated community. Of course as expected their lives get intertwined in unexpected ways, and the reader is
invited to watch the events unfold, shifting from one perspective to the other every few pages. I thought that the white couple was developed rather
successfully but somehow felt that the Mexican couple was more stereotypical than realistic. The climax and the resolution of events at the end of the book
did not strike me as most satisfactory, either. However, I do admit that I enjoyed reading about places that I have been in recently and felt an affinity to
the book because of its Los Angeles setting. I also thought that the author was successful in depicting the violence and desperation that seemed at points
random and somewhat over the top, but just the more realistic because of that.
(April)
It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness by Sylvia Boorstein
A short easy-to-read book, about, yes, you
guessed it, happiness and how to attain it. The basic idea is the same in all Buddhist texts: Life is full of pain but suffering is our choice. I found it a
comforting book to read and even gave a copy to my mom.
(March)
Not Buying It by Judith Levine
This is the story of the author's one year experiment of self-imposed frugalty.
Essentially she and her partner decide that for one whole year, they are not going to spend money on any unnecessary items. The premise is very appealing: To
take a break from the mainstream consumerist society and see if one can live a fully functional and fulfilling life doing without the unnecessary luxuries.
However the book turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. My main issue with it was that the author's sense of unnecessary was quite limited.
She still went skiing, and could not let go of several other items that would seem like luxuries to almost anyone else. The various diversions into politics
were also not called for, even though politically one may agree with her, or not, I think that their inclusion weakened her thesis. Nonetheless, the idea is
still appealing and I found it original. I think that it was an interesting attempt, and may be a good idea for many to give it a try, if only for a week or
so at the beginnning to see how consumerism runs our lives (or not).
(February)
The Revolt of the Cockroach People by Oscar Zeta Acosta
A fascinating read, detailing various events and personalities
involved with the anti-war Chicano movement of the 70s in Los Angeles and beyond. Told in the first person narrative style with colorful dialogues and
images, this book also can be viewed as a coming-of-age story of one Mexican American (Oscar Zeta Acosta himself) finding his voice and making his place in
the community he belongs to. I did feel at times that a superficial reader may end up convinced that the book glorifies the sex-and-drugs life style a bit.
Admittedly, nowhere is it said drugs are great, but they are mentioned often very matter-of-fact way, and it may be a bit tough for someone with certain
sensibilities to handle that and disentangle it from the heavier ideas of revolution. I still would recommend it highly to anyone who will not be offended by
the adult content.
(January)
2007:
Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein
This book was a fun read, giving an outline of the basic questions and ideas of philosophy through jokes. I could not stop laughing and also along the way
noticing that I was actually learning! It is a good book for the bedside table, it is light hearted but if you want to think a bit, you can also do that. And
then you put it down and go to sleep with a smile in your face. The book covers all the basic subfields of philosophy, and the major players of the
philosophical scene. It is a great recap opportunity for people who have taken a general purpose philosophy course long time ago and would like to review the
basics without going through all the reading.
(December)
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Now that I am almost done with Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Harry Potter's story has finally come to an end, I decided to check out yet another
long series. The Colour of Magic is the first book in Terry Pratchett's famous Discworld series and is the story of a failure
of a wizard named Rincewind who somewhat reluctantly becomes the tour guide and travel companion of an insurance agent named Twoflower. Insurance might sound
boring to some, but the book itself is nothing but! First of all the whole story is unfolding in a weird universe. The gods and goddesses are somewhat
olympian and their relations with the bipeds roaming the surface of the Discworld is most like Vonnegut's Sirens of Titan, except when they want to gamble.
The world is actually a disc (hence the name!) which is travelling through space on top of a giant turtle named Great A'Tuin, and magic and wizardry are
commonly accepted forms of dealing with reality. Second, the characters themselves are quite amusing; my favorite was the faithful but vicious Luggage who
follows its owner Twoflower to the end of the world. And of course, there is the humor! This was definitely a quick and fun read; all that is stopping me
from jumping to the next book is the knowledge that there are thirty-some more...
(November)
Research and Gender by Liz Jones and Ian Barron
The editorial note at the back of the book reads "This fascinating book illustrates the complex relationship between gender and research. The authors use
concrete examples and draw upon their own gendered experiences by including mini-case studies from research projects in areas such as childhood studies,
health care and education." Reading such a promising premiss, I felt I had to check it out when I found it on the New Books shelves of Honnold-Mudd. The book
is really small, only 116 pages, and the prose is divided more or less equally between six chapters, with catchy and intriguing titles like The "Manliness
of Research? and Undertaking Research in a Field that is Feminized. However, I had a lot of difficulty reading the text. I must emphasize the fact
that the book is not easy reading for the layperson; it is written and meant for researchers who are fluent in education theory, feminist theory, gender
studies, and a bunch of other disciplines which are far out of my reach. Nonetheless this was a rewarding reading experience. It challenged my intellectual
capacities as a reader, and I enjoyed the opportunity to critically compare the themes studied in the book with my own experiences growing up female and
taking my place in my field of research as a junior female researcher in a relatively masculine discipline.
(October)
Nihil Nimus: Advice for New Faculty Members by Robert Boice
As the new academic year advances, I find myself more and more often looking at my copy of Boice's Nihil Nimus, so I thought that writing a note here
about it was timely. I wrote briefly about another of Boice's books earlier, see January 2006 below. The book I am writing about now encompasses everything
that the other book has and then offers us some more. The main thesis of the book is that new faculty members should balance their efforts in ways that are
productive, and this only will be possible if they exert sufficient (not in excess) amount of energy in a planned and mindful way. The audience is clearly
the new professor, with all the career demands of research, teaching and service. The book is somewhat a rough read, sometimes quite repetitious, if
you start from the beginnig and try to read it in one long sitting. However, I believe that that kind of reading is not necesaarily the purpose of the book.
The book is meant to be a workbook and a guide; and one should approach it as such. To get the most out of it, one should perhaps read the first few chapters
to get the hang of it, and to understand the philoosophy behind it, and then, as time goes by, during the first couple years of one's new career, one should
take a look at it regularly, to be reminded of the approach. Besides the pages and pages of prose where the author explicates on his
philosophy, there are many exercises for the readers in order to help them develop good healthy working habits. In my second year at my job, I still find the
book refreshing and useful.
(September)
The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth by Tim Flannery
This year I volunteered to participate in the reading discussion seminar for our incoming freshmen and this wonderful book was the assigned reading! I had
wanted to take part in this activity anyway, but the choice of the book made it a much more fascinating experience. The discussion group I was assigned was
made up of quick and bright but nonetheless very thoughtful young people, and I learned a lot from just listening to them, although as usual I did end up
speaking my mind more often than I would have preferred. But this is a book page, so I should focus more on the book... Here is what I think: If you are
going to read one book about climate change, this should be it. Really. The author is himself a climate scientist, he definitely knows what he is talking
about, and he provides many scientific facts and projections to support his claims. However the language he uses is not dry and technical, in fact, in many
cases he is quite emphatically personal and emotional. All through the book, he is pleading to our common sense and human decency, pointing out quite clearly
to the readers that there is a real problem and that we should do something about it. The book was not easy to read for me, mainly because there is so much
information on so many things that have gone wrong. Just like I did, you might often want to put it aside to digest the bad news and the heartbreaking
situation that many forms of life on Earth are facing. However, the book is not a doomsday / apocalypse announcement. It offers some hope and many ways to
make a difference. Unless (and perhaps, even if) you think that the whole climate change issue is a ploy, planned by evil and selfish scientists, with the goal of channeling
research funding to climatology, or that it is a made-up threat with the purpose of slowing down or halting the progress and development of the civilized
world, give Flannery a chance.
(August)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J. K. Rowling
And thus the saga ended! Many readers found many things wrong with the seventh volume, but I was just as amazed by the fluency of events and the colorful
imagery throughout, as I had been in Books 5 and 6. The story needed an end, and J. K. Rowling gave us one that was as good as it could get without being too
sappy or cynical. The epilogue was not really one of the high points of the book, but considering that the intended audience of the books has not yet started
high school, I found it perfectly acceptable. The rest of the book was, as usual, spectacular. In the end I am happy to have read this series and would not
apologize for having immensely enjoyed the journey.
(July)
Abducted: How people come to believe they were kidnapped by aliens by Susan A. Clancy
I had always wanted to know and this book gives a scientific explanation for why people come to believe in (their own) alien abduction stories. The book
consists of six chapters, each focusing on a question related to the theme, and the overall effect in the end, at least for me, was relief. Finally getting
an insight as to why most of the stories follow similar plot threads, why aliens seem to abduct rather ordinary people, and make sometimes gruesome
experiments on them, why those who believe they were abducted may feel like finally they have a purpose in life, this was time well spent. At only 155 pages
(171 if you include the notes), it is a quick and easy read, and written in a journalistic style, with many many anecdotes and side comments about our
culture, it is definitely worth looking into if you are curious.
(June)
The Edge of Science by Richard Morris
Printed in 1992, this is already old stuff, but it is a good summary of where science, more specifically physics, has come to in the last decades of the
twentieth century. The author gives a broad overview of what we do know, of the nature of matter and the nature of the universe. Then he goes on to discuss
what we do not know. He introduces some theories (notably string theory) which he finds a bit too speculative. It is of course a bit dated, but it never
hurts to read about skeptical scientists and how new ideas come to be the mainstream ones. His discussion of what should be considered scientific, and what
is pseudo-science is good food for thought any time. I should now follow this up with a more up-to-date account of what we know today to be true and what we
do not know. Any suggestions?
(May)
The Mind - Body Problem by Rebecca Goldstein
This is a novel, but a somewhat philosophical one. There is a rather clear plotline: the heroine is a graduate student in philosophy, we follow her as she
finds love and much more with a mathematical genius. Along the way we think together with our narrator, the heroine, about the philosophical mind-body
problem, more precisely, about the natures of the mind and the body. We also learn a bit about the academic social life, and get into the loop about how
mathematics is done. At least by some mathematicians. I must admit that I am not a big fan of the cliche that mathematics is a young man's game; which is
expected I suppose, seeing how I am not really all that young and I am also not a man! Therefore I would not necesaarily agree with some of the assumptions
and themes of the novel. I would still strongly recommend it to those who may be interested in works that belong to that strange genre called the academic
novel. The author's tone is refreshing, she is witty but not terribly overbearing. Overall the book is rather a quick and easy read (if you do not mind
some philosophising along the way).
(April)
Surfing Through Hyperspace by Clifford A. Pickover
A fun book about higher dimensions. Pickover is entertaining, and the book has many illustrations which help to visualise some complex ideas via analogies.
The book consists of six essays. Each starts with a fictional diaglogue between two FBI agents trying to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of the
President of the USA. (It turns out that he has been kindapped by creatures from higher dimensions). Each dialogue introduces the reader to the more
sophisticated ideas that are later on discussed in more detail in the following essay. In short it is a well-written book introducing some nontrivial
concepts in a light-hearted way. Unfortunately, expecting a book in a particular genre (popular science and mathematics, with a hint of science fiction), I
was not terribly interested in the somewhat adult nature of the male FBI agent's interest in the female one and the theological ramblings of the author
throughout the book.
(March)
I Feel Bad About My Neck and other thoughts on being a woman by Nora Ephron
A very humorous approach to aging as a fully active and smart woman. Always honest and never humble, Nora Ephron jumps from her neck to her purse, from her
old apartment to her internship at the White House, and all throughout she has a wicked sense of humor. Throughout the laughters though, one does catch some
of the heavier thoughts. I very much respect her for writing such a personal book which entertains and yet still makes one think seriously about life and
aging. A quick read.
(February)
Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood by Edward M.
Hallowell and John J. Ratey
I found this book while surfing online and decided to take a look at it. It was a fascinating read! Many people these days feel overwhelmed with their lives
and wonder if there is something wrong with them. This book may make such people decide that yes, there is something wrong, and it is AD(H)D. I think that no
self-respecting psychiatrist will be proud to have written a book which convinces many people that they have a certain mental problem. However this book is
going to give a lot of people a lot of food for thought. You may end up with a self-diagnosis, which of course is never recommended; one needs to follow up
any such ideas with a regular doctor's visit. A more conservative approach may be to view it as a description of an increasingly-more-often-diagnosed mental
problem, and to see how wide its spectrum can be. There are many stories of how different individuals have learned to manage it and live with it, which may
be used as more general-purpose points about how to manage one's own life and work.
(January)
2006:
The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad by Fareed Zakaria
Every summer, students who will be starting as Pomona freshmen in the Fall are assigned a book to read and this was the book for the summer of 2006. I
finally got around to reading it. I was rather skeptical at the beginning. Nevertheless, I ended up finding many good points made in the book. The author
intends to emphasize the differences between the notion of a democracy and that of a liberal government, and uses the history of the two concepts and the way
they appear in today's world, as he makes his central point: Democracy should be seen as a means to the ultimate goal of humane government which should be
based on the rule of law and liberal values. Without the backing of liberal ideas and institutions, democracy by itself will not suffice. (One perhaps needs
to point out here, as Zakaria does in his footnote early on on page 19, that he is using the term liberal in its 19th century meaning; in other words,
he is using a term implying concern with individual economic, political and religious liberties). The historical examples are taken from many different eras,
and the influence of the notion of democracy, Zakaria claims, can be found in alsmot every social institution in today's America. We follow him as he talks
about credit cards, Ivy League education, and party politics, as well as the histories of the Catholic Church and the Middle East. Occasionally I found
myself saying No! out loud, but page after page, the book brought up interesting ideas and anecdotes which kept me thinking.
(December)
Reality Conditions: Short Mathematical Fiction by Alex Kassman
This was a quick and easy read for me; it is a collection of sci-fi stories, but one that mainly focuses on mathematical ideas. Recently I have been looking
into fiction that makes use of mathematics and this book has turned up exactly when I wanted to read it. The stories involve all sorts of math, but this
should not scare off readers who are not mathematicians. If you just HATE math, perhaps this is not the book for you, but if you like sci-fi this book
could be quite entertaining. The author has short notes for each of the stories at the back of the book; these notes make the stories much more enjoyable if
you are curious about the math behind them. The math used is a mixture of valid theorems and results of well-studied subfields of mathematics, and
pseudo-truths; the author has clearly not restricted himself to using only correct math! For me the book was more than entertaining; I cannot say I loved
each and every story, but it was certainly nice to be in my own comfort zone. I should emphasize again, though, that a knowledge of mathematics is really not
a prerequisite to enjoying the book; what you need is just a little curiosity. If you still remember a particular childhood story (The Science Boy) written
by the geeky character in a very popular sit-com episode (The One With The Mugging), then you will at least enjoy the Topology Man! (November)
Every Other Thursday: Stories and Strategies from Successful Women Scientists by Ellen Daniell
This book tells the story of a handful of women scientists (mainly working in the biological sciences) from the Bay Area who came together every other
Thursday for the last twenty five years to discuss and resolve various life issues. They started with a mixed gender group focusing on the nuts and bolts of
and the standard progress along the academic ladder, but as time passed by, and the members matured, the group evolved into a close-knit sisterhood. Its
members found that the group could help them solve problems that involved more than just their careers. The collective voice and compassion of the group
helped many through difficult times both in their careers and in their personal lives. However it should by no means be concluded that this was a group of
women who got together regularly to complain and whine. The sessions were always geared toward problem solving and depended ultimately on the analytical
minds (along with the hearts) of the members. I certainly liked many of the ideas involved, and found the descriptions of the logistics and the methods of
making such groups work quite helpful. Reading the book, I sometimes felt that the focus of the group sometimes wandered off in directions that I would not
necessarily expect or want from a group of peers formed and oriented toward problem solving in our professional lives, but then again, this particular group
of women ended up to be very close friends and some barriers were no longer necessary. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who feels like they
are isolated in their professional lives and would benefit from a supportive group of peers; it presents a very clear description of a well-functioning
group, and could be of much use to anyone interested in starting their own. (October)
How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff
It is my first semester at Pomona, and I am auditing Math 1, where this is one of the required readings. I had heard much about this book, which is now a
classic, and knew that it would contain many examples of how people in the public arena use and abuse statistical data. However, I was certainly surprised at
finding out that the author's tone and the illustrator's many cartoons make it such a pleasurable reading. I do not need to say much about the text itself; I
feel that the quote from Atlantic in the back of the book summarizes it most succinctly: "A pleasantly subversive little book, guaranteed to undermine
your faith in the almighty statistic" However, hopefully, you do not leave the book with a complete loss of faith, but instead with an awareness of the
appropriate ways to use and interpret statistical information. (September)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
A fascinating novel which found me at an airport. It is a captivating story, with several layers of sorrow and hope. We follow the narrator Amir from the
time he is a little boy living with his father Baba and their servant Ali in Afghanistan, till the present when he is a grown man, living in the US. We see
him as he loses his own innocence, his unquestioned trust in his own character, his best friend, and his home. The delightfully described details in the book
about the everyday lives of Afghan children resonated with me, and the consistent feeling of familiarity was due not only to my own background, but also (and
possibly mainly) to the simplicity of the language Hosseini uses throughout, which brings most vividly to life all the events, the people, the emotions.
Unlike most readers, I would not really call this a story of redemption, because the end of the story is not so clear cut, and one only is left with some
hope, a glimpse of a possibility of brighter days. However, the fact that we do not get a traditional happy ending makes the book a much better one; one
feels like this is a real story, presenting to us life with all its rough edges, with no attempt at beautifying the ugliest, darkest parts of the human soul,
or at simplifying the very complex human dilemnas. Even though the story was not a typical tear-jerker, I also will admit to having shed quite a few tears;
it was overall a most moving tale.
(August)
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat; and
Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
This is a most intriguing collection of stories about various types of neurological and / or psychological disorders, told by an expert. The stories are not
written in a dull technical language full of jargon; the reader can easily follow the descriptions and explanations of several different cases. And it is
very easy to sense the doctor's compassion and his sincere desire to understand his patients. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has, even if
only in passing, thought about the wonders of the human mind and its fragile nature, ever pondered, even if only briefly, of what we deem to be normal in the
sense of mental health.
(July)
Reality Isn't What It Used To Be: Theatrical Politics,
Ready-to-Wear Religion, Global Myths, Primitive Chic, and Other Wonders of the Postmodern
World by W. T. Anderson
Just reading the title gives one a headache! However this book is a very well written introduction
to postmodernist thought. Walter Truett Anderson looks at our world today (or more precisely the
world of the last decade of the twentieth century), and describes most accurately how we perceive
ourselves, our politics, our religions, our science, literature and history. Using the perspective
of postmodernist thought, with special emphasis on social constructions of reality, he analyses
what we perceive to be real. The book aims to offer us a hopeful but realistic future, as opposed
to a common interpretation of the postmodern society leading to pessimism or nihilism "If
everything is relative, then everything is allowed." The general confident and optimistic tone
of the text did not always convince me as a post-911 reader, but this book may prove to be a rare
work of (non-math) nonfiction which I expect to come back to now and again (until I grow up to be
a mature full-blown postmodernist :) I certainly will follow the leads suggested here and go
explore further into postmodernist literature.
(June)
Eating in the Light of the Moon: how women can transform their
relationships with food through myths, metaphors and storytelling by A. Johnston
This book consists of a series of myths, fairy tales and similar brief stories full of symbols and
metaphors, which the author utilizes to make points about how women sometimes abuse food and
themselves when they lose their own voices. Written by a practicing psychologist who specializes
in eating disorders, the text is very fluent and compassionate; moving from one story to the next,
it encourages women to find their inner strengths and feminine selves. Though I have not had
personal experiences as traumatic as the ones she is intending to address, I still felt that I
learned some things about myself and about how many women around me function or malfunction. The
underlying Goddess theme was both intriguing and appealing to me, and life became magical and with
unlimited possibilities, once again. It is perhaps the most New Age-y book I have read recently,
but it was both a pleasure and an adventure, and a great learning experience to boot.
(May)
Animals in Translation: Using the mysteries of autism to decode animal
behavior by T. Grandin and C. Johnson
Temple Grandin is an associate professor of animal science and also an autistic person. This book
revolves around her main thesis that people with autism and animals may be perceiving the world
in similar ways. The book is very interesting just as a book on animal behavior, and I certainly
learned a lot of new facts about many species of animals reading it. It is full of
scientific arguments and personal anecdotes, tied together into a fascinating story, (my favorite
was the story of Alex, the parrot). However, Grandin's references to her own experiences as an
autistic person make this a unique book. I learned as much about autism as about animal behavior,
though I must admit I was not very well-informed about either before I started this book.
Grandin wrote this book together with Catherine Johnson, and since the former is the animal expert
with autism, one could assume that the latter had a lot to do with the words and the writing; I
can only comment on the overall effect: The book reads as if written by Temple Grandin all by
herself the way she would most likely want to write this book. Grandin's passion for animals is
obvious from the start, and reading her explanations of her position in the livestock industry or
of her reasons for writing this book (p.307), one can recognize her sincere wish to help humans
get closer to animals.
(April)
The Know-it-all: One Man's Quest to Become the Smartest Person
in the World
by A. J. Jacobs
So Esquire editor A.J. Jacobs decides to read the Encyclopedia Britannica, all
thirty-two volumes of it, and he takes us along for the ride! The book itself is almost
like the Cliff notes version of the famous encyclopedia; of course Jacobs picks and
chooses which bits and pieces of information he will present to his readers, and most
of the time, his choices are related to his daily activities, but he manages to be
hilarious and informative at the same time, while taking us from A to Z. Along the way
we learn about his patient wife and their attempts at increasing their family size, his
father and his feelings about him (admiration and competititve envy, half and half), and
tons of trivia (which still were not enough to help me beat the penguins during the next
time we played Trivial Pursuit), but this man does learn a lot on this journey, and not
just facts, mind you! His philosophical musings come across as candid and realistic, and
the book turns out to be quite a treat, of the life-affirming kind. Also the chapters
are lettered, not numbered, and the several short sections in each chapter, make it
easily adaptable to interruptions during reading.
(March)
Lifting a Ton of Feathers
by P. J. Caplan
Being on the academic job market this year, I was curious to read this book which
is subtitled A Woman's Guide to Survival in the Academic World. Written by a
Canadian academic, this book is a must for anyone who is interested in seeing examples
of difficulties women academics may face throughout their careers. Reading several
accounts of women facing various forms of discrimination (overt and subliminal), I felt
quite lucky that I have never been in such circumstances. However, several situations
discussed in the book resonated with me because I could recognize the similarities with
the experiences of some friends and acquaintances. I would recommend the book to anyone
who is willing to have an open mind about others' experiences in the academia; not as a
collection of horror stories, but as a well-written guide that will be helpful to many
women academics. The overall picture is not black-and- white; there is discrimination
out there, but there are also many people who live through it and thrive. And then there
are many others, like me, who have never felt discriminated against, and for us, this
book is a good reminder that some awareness of the surroundings will not hurt.
(February)
Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive
Writing
by R. Boice
This is exactly what its title suggests: A self-help book for academic professionals who
have various difficulties getting themselves to write. The book discusses several
different writing problems, and mainly focuses on forcing oneself to start
writing. The main idea is that one will be most productive if one writes regularly for a
limited period of time. So for instance, no binge-writing is allowed because it leads to
burnout. The most counterintuitive suggestion for me was that one should force
oneself to stop after having written a fixed amount (of time or in pages); no more is
allowed even if you feel like you are on a roll, and you have to stop. Overall, the book
and its suggestions seem most suited for academics in the humanities, but a
mathematician would also find some useful advice here regarding the use of time and
organizational skills. However, I must admit that I have mainly used it as a tool for
further procrastination...
(January)
2005:
Educated in Romance: Women, Achievement and College
Culture
by D. C. Holland and M. A. Eisenhart
Every few months I get the urge to read some material related to gender issues. This
time I found a text related to women and their experiences during college, what a
treat for me! The book describes a study following 23 young women throughout
their college years in the early 1980s. The conclusions the authors reach are
quite disturbing. Even though the women selected for the study are originally very
motivated high-achievers when they come to college, almost all of them lower their
expectations and lose some of their self-esteem associated to their intellectual
capacities within the years that they contribute to the study. The authors explain
(in much less simplistic and more eloquent terms than I can do here) that the main
reason seems to be the college peer culture that expects the women to take a more
active interest in romantic relationships and limit their own personal and academic
achievements. When reading, I found myself reflecting on my own college experience and
wondering about my students. A very stimulating and sometimes disturbing read.
(December)
R. L. Moore: Mathematician & Teacher
by J. Parker
When I started reading this most recent biography of a mathematician that has been
promoted everywhere in the mathematical community, I really did not know much about
Moore or about what I would get out of the text. I was thinking that at least I could
get some insights about his famous Moore method of pedagogy, but I was not even aware
that he was such a towering figure in other ways. R. L. Moore was a leading researcher
in point set topology in the early twentieth century, and he produced a total of fifty
PhD students, almost half of these were during his later years when he basically quit
doing research and dedicated himself to classroom teaching. He also was a real Southern
gentleman, for those who appreciated his kind, and was a stubborn pain, for those who
did not. The book is well-written and I enjoyed learning about how several of the
most prominent mathematics departments in the US developed during the twentieth century
on the side.
(November)
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
by T. Wolfe
I was
interested in Tom Wolfe's books chronicling the most recent decades of American life, and
I wanted to start from the beginning. The book was quite a good read; Wolfe never tries
to convince his readers that he is an insider, and does not attempt to hide his own
opinions, one does feel underneath it all his subtle criticism of the youth of the times
he is describing, of their lack of interest in any aspect of life beyond their own, their
self-indulgence, etc. However, he also seems to value and respect their enormous appetite
for love, beauty, enlightenment, and their sheer innocence. Ok, perhaps I
am overanalysing and interpreting what is not there... Coincidentally I
was on my way to Eugene, Oregon, when I started reading
this book. I even saw a small statue made in the honor of Ken Kesey while in town!
(October)
The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt
by E. Roosevelt
Trying to learn about the world and how things were in the USA about
fifty to seventy years ago, to get a vivid picture of FDR's presidency
and to peak into the mind of a woman who has travelled a lot, and has
played several important roles in the American public life, this book
was a good choice. It was not as emotional or detailed as I would have
liked when it came to personal matters, (I for instance would have
liked to read more about her real feelings about her husband or more
of her relationship with her father). However, it was definitely a
very clear and strong account of the times from a very passionate and
opinionated woman. Her deep convictions and unwavering faith in the American ideals were
moving if not infectious, although at certain times her words came
across as somewhat over-enthusiastic and simplistic, or naive at best.
(October)
Alpha Beta - How 26 Letters Shaped the
Western World
by J. Man
How has the Western (i.e. Roman) alphabet evolved? This is what John Man is trying to
answer in his book. Starting with the Hebrews extracting some letter symbols from the
hieroglyphs and adding many of their own, to the Phoenicians who turn the idea
of an alphabet into a very useful addition to their culture, to the Greeks who develop
their own and record with it their oral heritage, to the Etruscans whose alphabet
was a mystery not until very long ago, and finally to the Romans who used their
alphabet and its power all over the European continent, the reader gets to
follow the history of these 26 letters and researchers and adventurers in search of
answers. Man's opinions about the Greek contributions to the Western
civilization are not really mainstream, but the book is a very stimulating one.
(September)
Why Read? The Uses and Abuses of Literature for
Life
by M. Edmundson
A long essay (or a short book, of 143 pages) on what we can gain by reading
literature. This defense of literature by an English professor (Mark Edmundson of
the University of Virginia) was very eloquent in every single page, all arguments were
very sound and appealing. I was continuously reminded of how much my high school literature
(Turkish and English) classes (and then another class I audited in Berkeley, taught by M.
Bernstein) taught me to feel, set my own values and find my own self. Edmundson has
very clear ideas of what he thinks education should entail and his passion about
literature and its role in developing youngsters into whole persons is contagious.
(August)
The Power of Babel - A Natural History of
Language
by J. McWhorter
I have always been fascinated by classical linguistics, not necessarily by the
mechanistic Chomsky-style linguistics (although I did at some point find myself
reading his Syntactic Structures and do recall getting very excited by it),
but more by etymology and historical approaches to how languages change and relate to
one another. However my partiality to its subject matter is not the only reason why I
liked this book so much. McWhorter wrote a very entertaining and yet informative book.
With all the funny anecdotes and delightful discussions about musicals and Asterix and
tribes in far away parts of the world, the book was a great read. I loved exploring,
with McWhorter as my expert guide, several high-brow theories about languages along
with why Charlie Brown is bald and why Mickey Mouse wears gloves. Particularly
interested in grammatical variations, I enjoyed reading parsings of sample sentences
in languages I had never heard of and learning how various peoples of the world say
the same thing in many different ways. Overall the book left me thirsty for more.
(August)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book
6)
by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter's sixth year in Hogwarts was at least as exciting as the previous five.
With every volume, Rowling impresses me more: she has an incredible talent in
intertwining tale threads and sprinkling clues all around which tie together only
at the very end, or sometimes only about fifty or so pages before the end, but her
style makes you want to read on no matter what. The Harry Potter series will
definitely join Le Petit Nicolas (or PITIRCIK in Turkish) on my list for all-time
favorite kid-lit heroes. Then there is Pippi Longstocking...
(July)
The Immortal Ataturk - A Psychobiography
by V. Volkan and N. Itzkowitz
This time I chose to read a psychobiography of a charismatic leader that I already
knew quite a lot about: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish
Republic. There were several interesting anecdotes in the book that I really enjoyed
reading, and overall I found this book to be illuminating on more than one level.
However, at some points, the psychoanalysis once again seemed to go deep into fantasy;
I ended up interpreting certain comments as telling me more about the authors'
psychology than that of the actual character under study.
(July)
Gandhi's Truth - On the Origins of Militant
Nonviolence
by E. Erikson
Definitely not a great first book to read about Gandhi, but if one is interested
in a psychoanalytical approach to Mohandas K. Gandhi as a man with various human
weaknesses and sensitivities along with many other character traits which make him a
great leader, this book may be appropriate. I learned quite a few details about him
that I had not known before, even though the (psycho)analysis was a bit too
much for me at times. Overall, as one of the first psychobiographies of
historical leaders, this was a very interesting read.
(June)
The City of God
by E. L. Doctorov (not by St. Augustine!)
I have not been able to read much fiction lately, so when I found this book, I could
not resist. The read was much harder than I expected. However, miracles can happen
during the long flight from New York to Istanbul. Long hours of reading, but in the
end it felt worth it. The interlocking stories starting with the robbery of a cross
from a church and the philosophical interludes all came together eventually and I as a
reader felt fully satisfied.
(May)
The Art of Deception - An Introduction to Critical
Thinking
by N. Capaldi
I have been looking into texts in critical thinking lately, and when I picked this up,
I was expecting "an introduction to critical thinking". However, even if I got some of
that, more than half of the text was on "the art of deception," and hence the choice
of title. The "deception" part was too Machiavellian for my taste, though the
discussion on Mill (in an extended appendix) was a superb finishing touch.
(April)
The Simpsons and Philosophy, The D'oh! of
Homer
A collection of philosophical articles taking their inspiration from one of my
favorite TV shows. After reading the book, watching the Simpsons has become somewhat a
different type of experience... (August 2005:
After Sarah Greenwald's wonderful talk at the MathFEST 2005, I could not help
but add this link here: Here is a
most interesting page about the Simpsons with significant mathematical content!)
(March)
In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and
Women's Development
by C. Gilligan
Clearly not a psychologist, I started this book slightly worried that
it could be too technical for me. However, I was happily surprised,
especially after my previous struggles with more famous
psychologists. The main thesis of the book made me think about
the possible reasons why I did not feel as comfortable reading
those other people.
(February)
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