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August 31, 2008
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Benjamin
marked as to-read:
Then We Came to the End (Hardcover)
by
Joshua Ferris
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
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May 27, 2008
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Benjamin
gave  to:
The Hacker's Diet: How to Lose Weight and Hair Through Stress and Poor Nutrition (E-Book, html, pdf)
by
John Walker
bookshelves:
recommended
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my rating:
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recommended for: overweight engineers
read in February, 2006
Benjamin said:
"It is hard to describe what it feels like to suddenly have some control over an area of your life where you previously felt powerless. After reading this book I started tracking my weight daily and lost over 25 lbs; simply tracking my weight as desc...more
It is hard to describe what it feels like to suddenly have some control over an area of your life where you previously felt powerless. After reading this book I started tracking my weight daily and lost over 25 lbs; simply tracking my weight as described in the book made me aware of my progress even when it was otherwise undetectable, preventing me from giving up too soon.
Most diet advice is written by professionals who spend all of their time thinking about health and are acutely aware of all the nutrients you need to be ingesting on a daily basis so as not to contract scurvy. As a result, the advice they give tends to be overwhelming and to hold it all in your head you must summarize it as YOU ARE DOING EVERYTHING WRONG.
John Walker is a software engineer who decided one day to approach his weight as an engineering problem: your body has inputs (food) and outputs (water and waste) and the difference between the two dictates your weight loss or gain. It's slightly more complicated than that, but not much.
Walker has the credibility of someone who is recommending something that they have done themselves. More importantly, he did not lose weight and become a fitness guru who advocates that you do the same to change your life, too. He, like a lot of overweight people, already had a pretty good life and just wanted to lose some weight and keep the rest of it mostly the same.(less)
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May 13, 2008
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Benjamin
marked as to-read:
Breakfast of Champions (Paperback)
by
Kurt Vonnegut
bookshelves:
dont-have,
to-read
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my rating:
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Benjamin
marked as to-read:
A Confederacy of Dunces (Paperback)
by
John Kennedy Toole
bookshelves:
dont-have,
to-read
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my rating:
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April 02, 2008
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Benjamin
gave  to:
What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question (Mass Market Paperback)
by
Po Bronson
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my rating:
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recommended to Benjamin by:
Adam
recommended for: everybody
read in February, 2008
Benjamin said:
"I remember the first time I saw a book titled "What Should I Do With My Life?" in a store and thought to myself, "What kind of ass thinks he can answer that question in a book?" Based on that cover-based judgment, I left it on th...more
I remember the first time I saw a book titled "What Should I Do With My Life?" in a store and thought to myself, "What kind of ass thinks he can answer that question in a book?" Based on that cover-based judgment, I left it on the shelf, and didn't give it another thought until, months later, a friend recommended it to me.
I love this book because it is an honest book. Po Bronson interviews hundreds of people and tells you a handful of compelling stories and does not try to fit it all into a Single Unified Theory of Life. He points out the patterns that emerged but doesn't force anecdotes to become life lessons. On a topic where so many authors want to come up with a system to explain it all, Bronson simply gathers evidence and presents it. Because of that, the book contains real truth.
I recently re-read the book in February but first read it a few years ago. In that time I've probably loaned or given a copy of this book to a dozen people. I can't say that about any other book I've read. So... read it, already.(less)
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Benjamin
gave to:
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq (Hardcover)
by
Thomas E. Ricks
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
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January 25, 2008
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Benjamin
marked as to-read:
A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories (Hardcover)
by
Flannery O'Connor
bookshelves:
dont-have,
to-read
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my rating:
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January 22, 2008
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Benjamin
read and liked
Amitai's
review of The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists:
"I know I'm taking a risk by even acknowledging its existence and my familiarity with its contents. It may not be interpreted kindly that an Orthodox rabbi (in training) reads *this* widely. But this book tells a story of ethical tension that is, hand...more
I know I'm taking a risk by even acknowledging its existence and my familiarity with its contents. It may not be interpreted kindly that an Orthodox rabbi (in training) reads *this* widely. But this book tells a story of ethical tension that is, hands down, the most powerful treatise on morals and group dynamics I have ever read. Period.
I found it at once the modern man's sefer mussar of choice, and the endgame of every single Reality TV show every made. But it is not for everyone.
You'll know if it's for you after reading the first 10 pages.
(The first 5 are here: [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0060554738/ref=sib_dp_pt/105-1029437-5562026#reader-link])
THE GREAT novelty in this book is simple: credibility. The author walks down roads, and perhaps comes to conclusions, that ultimately reflect an eerily familiar set of values. However, this presentation is backed up by his experience, and so we trust his authority.
And who is "we"?: non-authoritarian, ethical, sexually aware (not necessarily active) human beings who thoughtfully approach the question: What kind of relationship is a good one? Because before we even seek an Other, we must choose: wordless college hook-up, one-night stand, short term "friend", long term friend "to have fun with", companion, life partner, or spouse/best-friend to start a family with. This book may make you question your unconscious assumptions or conscious decisions in this area.
(I admit my assumption that female readers can also gain these things from a man's story.)
Authoritarians ask their authorities (clergy, philosophers, etc.) and skip the discovery process I describe. Unethical people should have little interest in the book, as ethical-tension is the book’s essential content, and they can get more direct material online. Finally, sexually -unaware or -sensitive folk (e.g., modest or religious individuals) won’t stomach the mildly graphic descriptions of what the protagonist lived through – ignorance is bliss, for them.
Understand:
A 'pickup artist' is an amateur social scientist who adopts a language of "technology" complete with acronyms and jargon in order to systematize interpersonal relations: in this specific instance, how to get girls into bed. With the internet as catalyst, they formed a community, granting the unprecedented ability to share knowledge and methods.
The author is an NYT and then Rolling Stone reporter who, born and raised a geek, discovered this community of pickup artists. To make a long story short, he mastered the "art". How did it change him? Does power corrupt? Esp. power over sexuality?
The book is selfish. I.e., it is about self-discovery, self-esteem, self-worth. It is about the connection sex has to the self, and reveals much about the modern cultural condition. It also tells a story, and effortlessly, such that rays of life’s truths stream though the filter of (every) author’s unavoidable sins of omission. You will learn what you want to from the book, and therein lies the "danger" in my recommendation.
Full disclosure: I vicariously got something out of my system, learned about the human being, and myself. It validated many concepts I have about friendship, group dynamics, and honesty. It also serves as a warning about the evils of backbiting and gossip, misogyny, and coveting. It has, in its way, said the same thing as such classic Jewish works as Mesilat Yesharim and Orhot Tzadikim (though they say much more as well), and modern day "classics" like Magic Touch and the entire Gila Manolson oeuvre. It complements Wendy Shalit's "Modesty" nicely. I am not a fan or groupie: I am engaged to a woman who has trebled the joy and light in my life, and opened up new worlds to me, my teacher, my student – so I am not a consumer of this. And the only habit I have adopted since reading the book is to smile whenever I walk into a room of people I don't know. Though perhaps, that is life-changing enough...(less)
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Benjamin
marked as to-read:
No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories (Hardcover)
by
Miranda July
bookshelves:
dont-have,
to-read
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my rating:
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