I'm glad I read this book because I gained insight into the world of late antiquity. Augustine's personality and the events of his life come alive. ...moreI'm glad I read this book because I gained insight into the world of late antiquity. Augustine's personality and the events of his life come alive. He became a real person instead of a ghostly figure in a Russian icon. I gained less understanding about why Augustine was so important and why Augustine was attracted to Christianity out of all the competing ideologies he experimented with (Paganism and Manicheanism).
I needed something like "Augustine came up with X and this influenced all Christian thought as evidenced by A,B, and C." If I had to come up with the X after reading this book, I guess it would be his insights about the will or the concept of the church as a "City of God". I would not be able to give you the A, B, and C. It may be right in there, but I missed it. I suspect that Wills assumes some pre-existing knowledge on the part of the reader. I didn't always find it easy to read the philosophical explanations. When he discussed a theory of time and brought in Karl Popper and Bertrand Russell, wow, I was lost (and I consider myself a time-travel expert).
Gary Wills has this way of lurching from one subject to another. Traditional demarcations of subjects such as chapters or transitional paragraphs are missing. (less)
interesting addition to the Zones of thought and the Tines world. I love this universe. This book didn't move the plot along as much as I'd hoped. ...moreinteresting addition to the Zones of thought and the Tines world. I love this universe. This book didn't move the plot along as much as I'd hoped. Waiting for another sequel now.(less)
I liked it. It was an easy read with tons of names thrown in to do further reading with.
I didn't like that there were no notes because on...moreI liked it. It was an easy read with tons of names thrown in to do further reading with.
I didn't like that there were no notes because one of the facts in the book does not correspond with the Wikipedia entry and I'd like to know the source of the story of John's first Good Friday prayer.
According to the book, John changed a very offensive prayer ("Let us pray also for the Jews: that almighty God may remove the veil from their hearts; so that they too may acknowledge Jesus Christ our Lord.")
to
Let us pray
For the Jewish people,
The first to hear the word of God,
That they may continue to grow in the love of his name
And in faithfulness to his covenant.
Every repetition of this story on the internet cites this book as the source and this book names no sources.
Even without that story, it is clear that John was amazing and stands in sharp contrast to Catholic leaders before and since. (less)
What if a boy named Clark Kent lived in a world were Superman existed as a comic book and our Clark was constantly teased because of his name and then...moreWhat if a boy named Clark Kent lived in a world were Superman existed as a comic book and our Clark was constantly teased because of his name and then one day he woke up with super powers and soon had powerful shadowy government forces after him? What if Clark woke up in a lab where he found the dead bodies of other people? What if there were hints that other people with super powers were out there? That would be pretty cool, right? Then what if Clark got married and had babies. What if the other people with super powers never show up and Clark starts getting along swimmingly with the government forces. What if, instead of his babies being threatened or a super villain showing up, the rest of the book is about how nice it is to grow old with the people you love and there is no more conflict. At All. The End! (less)
Loved it. I read it more than a decade ago and it still leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth and a nauseous feeling when I see the antagonists (...moreLoved it. I read it more than a decade ago and it still leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth and a nauseous feeling when I see the antagonists (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) reappearing in the newspaper. They say people won't remember what you did or what you said but they will remember how you made them feel. This is sure true in this case. I can't remember exactly what KKR did, but I sure remember how they made me feel, especially this motherf*cker: http://www.google.com/search?q=Henry+Kra...(less)
I've read about a hundred computer books for work and for fun and I don't want to clutter up goodreads with all of them, just the ones that stand out....moreI've read about a hundred computer books for work and for fun and I don't want to clutter up goodreads with all of them, just the ones that stand out. This one stands out.(less)
This is a very interesting book and is not just about Edie, but the factory era and societal change, New York City, and Andy Warhol. It peers unblink...moreThis is a very interesting book and is not just about Edie, but the factory era and societal change, New York City, and Andy Warhol. It peers unblinkingly into the sickness of the Factory scene through the oral recollections of the few who survied it. This as close as I ever want to get to Andy Warhol, Paul America, and Billy Name, Ingrid Superstar and the rest. I like good characters, but the way the factory scene was presented scared the shit out of me.(less)
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