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February 12
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Marc
gave
to:
Mao: The Unknown Story (Paperback)
by Jung Chang
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Marc said:
"I do not know how many of the facts in this book are open to debate and I hope to learn that as I read other books, but this book was very very interesting to read. Essentially, Mao was like Stalin or worse. He had the unique level of monstrousness t...more
I do not know how many of the facts in this book are open to debate and I hope to learn that as I read other books, but this book was very very interesting to read. Essentially, Mao was like Stalin or worse. He had the unique level of monstrousness that not only did he kill off his closest comrades, but discarded his own wives like trash when he tired of them and he never made an effort to have a relationship with any of his children. He was truly a man who cared for no one but himself. The stories of what he put his country through make it all the more amazing how they have emerged today. Deng was a very interesting figure and seems to have worked a miracle to undo the damage Mao did to China....less
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Marc
gave
to:
Cancer Ward (Paperback)
by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Marc said:
"This is a great book with great characters. You should read 'A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" or some of The Gulag Archipelago before reading this to understand it. The relationships of the main character and his struggle for love and survi...more
This is a great book with great characters. You should read 'A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" or some of The Gulag Archipelago before reading this to understand it. The relationships of the main character and his struggle for love and survival are beautifully written and touching....less
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Marc
gave
to:
The Jungle: The Uncensored Original Edition (Paperback)
by Upton Sinclair
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Marc said:
"Wah wah wah. Labor conditions in meat packing factories a long time ago sucked. I have read good books about depressing things. Those good books have a sense of energy and involve you with the characters. This books just leaves you wondering what wil...more
Wah wah wah. Labor conditions in meat packing factories a long time ago sucked. I have read good books about depressing things. Those good books have a sense of energy and involve you with the characters. This books just leaves you wondering what will go wrong next. You feel bad for the oppressed workers, but nobody is paying you 80 cents a day to read this book, and you don't feel there is much hope for either of you. I made it half way through and gave up. Unless you like absolutely pure depression, not intermixed with any hint of energy or triumph, I recommend you stay away from this one. ...less
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Marc
gave
to:
Atlas Shrugged (Paperback)
by Ayn Rand
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Marc said:
"It is better to publish a world view that has some flaws than to not have a world view or to disguise your world view behind practical and party politics. Ayn Rand has written a very brave and powerful book from which independent minded people can le...more
It is better to publish a world view that has some flaws than to not have a world view or to disguise your world view behind practical and party politics. Ayn Rand has written a very brave and powerful book from which independent minded people can learn a lot without incorporating the entirety of her ideology. Her characters are bold, often black and white, like Star Wars with libertarian ideology instead of the force. Atlas Shrugged is one of the most complex and involving pieces of fiction ever written and it is truly quite unique in it's approach to moral and economic issues....less
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Marc
gave
to:
Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, (Vintage)
by Robert A. Caro
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Marc said:
"This is an amazing biography and a lesson on the use of power and strategy in politics. It makes a very interesting story of a very complex figure.
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Marc
gave
to:
A Confederacy of Dunces (Paperback)
by John Kennedy Toole
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Marc said:
"This is a well written and reasonably gripping and involving book about subjects that themselves are not that global or interesting, so it is ok. Oddly enough, I am a 5th year Masters Student living in New Orleans with my parents while I finish my th...more
This is a well written and reasonably gripping and involving book about subjects that themselves are not that global or interesting, so it is ok. Oddly enough, I am a 5th year Masters Student living in New Orleans with my parents while I finish my thesis, but I just got a draft turned in and I have a job lined up. The 'New Orleans atmosphere' of the book is probably a bit overrated. The book is mainly about the characters with a few street names mentioned here and there. A lot of the shops and downtown elements could just as easily be set in other cities....less
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Marc
gave
to:
War and Peace
by Leo Tolstoy
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 2007
Marc said:
"War and Peace is amazing. The characters and story are just masterful. This is the greatest novel I have read. It is probably too complex to come to any simply satisfying ending, but it is so gripping and interwoven that the final 80% of the book is ...more
War and Peace is amazing. The characters and story are just masterful. This is the greatest novel I have read. It is probably too complex to come to any simply satisfying ending, but it is so gripping and interwoven that the final 80% of the book is like an extended satisfying ending....less
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Marc
gave
to:
Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life (Hardcover)
by Michael M. Lewis
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Marc
gave
to:
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (Paperback)
by Michael M. Lewis
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Marc
gave
to:
Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson (American Icons Series)
by Gore Vidal
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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