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October 05
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M
marked as to-read:
America and the World: Conversations on the Future of American Foreign Policy (Hardcover)
by Zbigniew Brzezinski
bookshelves:
social-sciences,
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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New comment on Trevor's review of
Basic Economics: A Citizens Guide to the Economy, Revised and Expanded
(see all 8 comments)
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September 28
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M
gave
to:
Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral (Hispanic Foundation Publications)
by Gabriela Mistral
bookshelves:
poetry
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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M said:
"I really enjoyed Gabriela Mistral’s poems about nature and children, but otherwise her poetry did not quite capture me the way I thought a Nobel Prize winner would. The rhythm and rhyme schemes were a little too symmetrical for my taste. Also, I ...more
I really enjoyed Gabriela Mistral’s poems about nature and children, but otherwise her poetry did not quite capture me the way I thought a Nobel Prize winner would. The rhythm and rhyme schemes were a little too symmetrical for my taste. Also, I thought her use of some archaic words was distracting given the subject matter and simplicity of the poems....less
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September 13
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M
added The Uncommon Reader: A Novella
to the book list Stories For Book Lovers
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September 10
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New comment on Shannon's review of
Nuestras Vidas Son los Rios: Una Novela
reply to this comment
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M
gave
to:
The Age of American Unreason (Hardcover)
by Susan Jacoby
bookshelves:
history
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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M said:
"It has been interesting to read The Age of American Unreason during the 2008 US Presidential media circus campaign. In this well-researched social commentary, Susan Jacoby traces the history and causes of anti-intellectualism in the Un...more
It has been interesting to read The Age of American Unreason during the 2008 US Presidential media circus campaign. In this well-researched social commentary, Susan Jacoby traces the history and causes of anti-intellectualism in the United States over the past two decades. The culprits? The celebrity/youth culture that feeds media infotainment, technologies that are replacing face-to-face conversations and reading, the growth of Christian fundamentalism, uneven educational expectations in schools, and contempt for countervailing facts and expert opinion. She refers to the latter as junk thought.
I found this to be a very persuasive and thought-provoking book. In regards to mass media and infotainment, it seems to be increasingly difficult to find reliable sources of actual news. Just this morning, for example, a major US newspaper devoted more space on its webpage to a feature on famous film weddings than to the CERN particle collider passing its first key tests, or explaining why the collider is even important. The growing influence on public policy of people who interpret the Bible literally is scary to me mainly because the mingling of religion and government has not had a good track record throughout world history. It baffles me that the quality of public education can vary so much from state to state. I could get on my geek soapbox and write pages on junk thought, but my top two pet peeves would have to be quoting results of surveys that are not statistically valid and claims regarding the effectiveness of medical or pseudo-medical interventions that are not based on the results of double-blind tests. I don’t agree as much with Jacoby about technologies like computers and the various iGadgets available as long as they are used with a discerning eye (and ear).
Before starting this book, I wondered if the last chapter would be a predictable call to action. Fortunately, Jacoby does not fall into that trap. I think that, rather than expect an author or anyone else to get us out of this hole, we must each use critical thinking skills to wade through the nonsense around us, become lifelong learners, and act accordingly. An informed public is less easily manipulated.
Despite Jacoby’s dislike of soundbites, she manages to incorporate many memorable one-liners. I will end with my favorite from p. 230: “Public ignorance in large and powerful countries is particularly dangerous to the rest of the world precisely because of the capacity of powerful states to inflict damage on the weak.” ...less
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September 05
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New comment on Trevor's review of
Macbeth
(see all 2 comments)
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September 01
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New comment on Anne's review of
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
reply to this comment
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August 24
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M
marked as to-read:
A Game as Old as Empire: The Secret World of Economic Hit Men and the Web of Global Corruption (BK Currents)
by Steven Hiatt
bookshelves:
social-sciences,
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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New comment on M's review of
The Age of American Unreason
(see all 3 comments)
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