Scout & Engineer (scout_engineer) (130 books)

Scout & Engineer is currently reading:

Oscar And Lucinda
by Peter Carey

My rating:

Scout & Engineer added:

The Sisters Brothers
by Patrick deWitt

read in February, 2012

My rating:

Can't wait to read this one! The Dabbler Book Club (http://thedabbler.co.uk/the-dabbler-book...) is sending me a free copy. I highly recommend them. UK book club that sponsors regular give-aways, offers free membership, has a website that's laid out ...more

Scout & Engineer gave

to:

Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
by Leonard Peikoff

My rating:

Scout & Engineer gave

to:

30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans
by Karl Pillemer

read in January, 2012

My rating:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

The main problem with the approach behind this book manifests in the chapters on marriage and work, chapters that offer nothing new to speak of and present lessons that conflict. Many pieces of advice expressed by interviewed elders speak, understand...moreThe main problem with the approach behind this book manifests in the chapters on marriage and work, chapters that offer nothing new to speak of and present lessons that conflict. Many pieces of advice expressed by interviewed elders speak, understandably and simply, to the fact that temperaments differ; for instance, one recommends understanding early-on that fighting is not the end of the world and that you've gotta roll with it, while others offer advice on how to cool down before speaking so that fights don't break out. Of course, there's nothing harmful about hearing how those with disparate personalities deal with the same challenges ... it's just not particularly helpful either.

The most evident example of disintegration within the lesson structure comes in the chapter on work, the specific problem being that, when you whittle each lesson-at-large down to the thought that underlies it, you see that the thoughts inspiring different lessons necessarily contradict each other. One lesson that is counted as an important one to long-term happiness relevant to the workplace involves doing what you love, regardless of money made. Fine lesson. The ultimate value of any undertaking considers total experience. Doing everything you do to the best of your ability--having pride in your work--is counted as important. Agreed. That's stressed in nearly every self-help text in existence, as well as books dealing with the joy of the mental flow state. Another lesson states directly that emotional intelligence trumps everything else, and that you have to learn to people-please in order to get anywhere. While the first lessons stem from the idea that work needs to be enjoyable to you as an individual, or else you've cursed yourself for all your years as a worker, this last-mentioned lesson is indicative of the thought that, above both how well you do your work and what work you choose for yourself, is the consideration of how likable you render yourself to the people who work with you. Because they hold a net of sorts around you. An example is even used of a person whose requested raise was put to a vote; those voting decided against it because they didn't like him, plain 'n simple. His work was top-notch, a point of pride to the company ... and they voted against giving him a raise, effectively sending him away to another company, because they didn't like him. The only "lesson" I could see milking from this is that people foolish enough to vote against a person whose work benefits them all get what they deserve. By any account, I think the lesson here is most definitely NOT "get along with people, so this doesn't happen to you." That seems, in fact, to adamantly contradict the lifelong-happiness advice of doing what you truly love in a manner that leaves you feeling personally proud.

It could be argued: what do you expect, given that you're collecting advice from such a diverse group, who only have their (rather broad) age-range in common? Again, this is more a criticism of the actual approach. If this were just a sociologically interesting look at what this group of people, on average, hold to be important, that would be one thing. It is, however, presented as lessons for the good life, directed at those who haven't been there/done that.

I don't think the book fails in all ways; there are certain focuses that seem appropriately explored by interviews with those who are older. Specifically: living in such a way that you look back on the years of your life without regrets, and raising your children. The latter yields up some helpful thoughts, primarily because the interview subjects are focusing on tips that will not just cure a certain behavior in the short-term, but will contribute to the long-range happiness of children and the long-term stability of parents' relationships to their grown children. In other words, readers are treated to tips that concentrate on the very real context of parenthood, a period of time that lasts much longer than the period of time in which a certain undesirable childhood behavior might rear its head.

Appreciated is the fact that this book emphasizes the value of concrete things learned by an older generation. It makes perfect sense that younger people should, for their own well-being, pay attention to lessons learned by those who have already lived through circumstances similar to those that lie ahead for the younger. However, that is only true to the extent that these passed-down messages are individually evaluated for their relevance, their truthfulness, and how they knit together in a philosophically integrated whole. In light of that, there are many contradictory lessons that shouldn't pass through a rational and self-interested individual's filters as-is.(less)

Scout & Engineer marked as to-read:

Iris Murdoch Biography
by A.N. Wilson

My rating:

Scout & Engineer marked as to-read:

Vox
by Nicholson Baker

My rating:

Scout & Engineer marked as to-read:

The Life of the Mind
by Hannah Arendt

My rating:

Scout & Engineer gave

to:

Girls of Riyadh
by Rajaa Alsanea

read in January, 2010

My rating:

The book-back blurb from Time, "Imagine Sex and the City, if the city in question were Riyadh," says it all. I don't like Sex and the City, or its next of kin. Some of the braided-in cultural info was interesting; for me, that was it.

Scout & Engineer gave

to:

Sock
by Penn Jillette

read in December, 2011

My rating:

I didn't consider the ending perfect (then, there are sacred few endings I have found perfect, and the few have not consistently capped off perfect-to-match books) and I didn't get many of the cultural references (though, hey, I knew enough to know t...more

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2012 Reading Challenge

Scout & Engineer is currently reading: Oscar And Lucinda by Peter Carey	My rating:
Feb 07, 2012 07:14am
Scout & Engineer added: The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt read in February, 2012	My rating:
Can't wait to read this one! The Dabbler Book Club (http://thedabbler.co.uk/the-dabbler-book...) is sending me a free copy. I highly recommend them. UK book club that sponsors regular give-aways, offers free membership, has a website that's laid out ...more
Feb 05, 2012 02:08am · see review
Scout & Engineer gave to: Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff	My rating:
Jan 31, 2012 10:53am
Scout & Engineer gave to: 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans by Karl Pillemer read in January, 2012	My rating:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Jan 31, 2012 10:50am · see review
Scout & Engineer marked as to-read: Iris Murdoch Biography by A.N. Wilson	My rating:
Jan 23, 2012 09:17pm
Scout & Engineer marked as to-read: Vox by Nicholson Baker	My rating:
Jan 21, 2012 07:27pm
Scout & Engineer marked as to-read: The Life of the Mind by Hannah Arendt	My rating:
Jan 20, 2012 06:32am
Scout & Engineer gave to: Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea read in January, 2010	My rating:
The book-back blurb from Time, "Imagine Sex and the City, if the city in question were Riyadh," says it all. I don't like Sex and the City, or its next of kin. Some of the braided-in cultural info was interesting; for me, that was it.
Jan 19, 2012 04:55pm · see review
Scout & Engineer gave to: Sock by Penn Jillette read in December, 2011	My rating:
I didn't consider the ending perfect (then, there are sacred few endings I have found perfect, and the few have not consistently capped off perfect-to-match books) and I didn't get many of the cultural references (though, hey, I knew enough to know t...more
Jan 18, 2012 09:59pm · see review
Scout & Engineer is now following Otis Chandler's reviews
Jan 18, 2012 05:54pm

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