Nyana's profile

9 ratings | 7 reviews
avg rating: 4.00

Nyana's bookshelves

read (10)

currently-reading (1)

to-read (13)

Nyana is currently reading

	08/24 Nyana is currently reading: A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, Ninth Edition (Hardcover) by Burton G. Malkiel bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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Nyana's recent updates (rss)

August 11

New comment on Nyana's review of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

Nyana wrote: "I'm glad that you liked it. I got distracted with other things this summer and never really finishe...more "

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August 10

Nyana gave

to:
The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court (Paperback)
by Peter Irons

my rating:

recommended to Nyana by: UM law school
recommended for: anyone interested in American freedom
read in August, 2008

Nyana said: "This was the only thing I read from the pre-law summer reading list. I found the cases very provocative and enjoyed the author's focus on both the legal details and the personal stories behind them. This historical/personal perspective made the boo...more "

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June 17

Nyana added:
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time (Paperback)
by Greg Mortenson

my rating:

read in August, 2008

Nyana said: "I just finished the introduction and I'm feeling skeptical. I was put off by the self-proclaimed heroism (even though Mortenson feigns humility) and the sweeping generalizations about "changing the world." I agree that this type of work i...more "

2 comments

Nyana marked as to-read:
The Milagro Beanfield War: A Novel (Paperback)
by John Nichols
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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March 02

Nyana marked as to-read:
Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community (Paperback)
by Robert D. Putnam
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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Nyana read and liked Christine's review of Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community:

"This is a book I heard about in 2000 when it first came out and I've wanted to read t since then. What took me so long?

It's an important treatise on how we have become increasingly disconnected with each other for various reasons: tv, moving a l...more This is a book I heard about in 2000 when it first came out and I've wanted to read t since then. What took me so long?

It's an important treatise on how we have become increasingly disconnected with each other for various reasons: tv, moving a lot, lack of civic education, suburbanization and sprawl, longer work hours, both parents working, declining religious participation, greater individualism, etc. Author Robert Putnam contends that we are losing our social capital which basically means our social resources (friends, colleagues, family, neighbors, etc). This leads to depression, distrust,

He attributes about half of the overall decline in social capital to the generational difference between WWII generation and the baby boomers. The civic engagement and connectedness on the WWIIers seems to me to be a result of being in a very different historical situation, not a quality that is inherent to them. So I'm not with him on that.

Anyway, he isn't encouraging a return to the 1950's where conformity often lead to malevolent practices like segregation. However, our increasing individualism has made social ties more difficult to make and retain. People used to join more clubs and have dinner over each other's houses, play cards, etc more often. The tv and it's characters are our new friends.

This book is outdated. Putnam admits he has no idea how the Internet will effect social capital. The decline happened before the Internet came out to the general public so it can't be THE cause. He does make the good point that virtual communication is not the same as face to face. One can not make a thorough assessment of the communication received electronically as we can from "vibes" we get when we're in another's presence. Virtual ties help us communicate more easily but he's not sure it fosters "genuine community". I think it depends on the site and individual interactions. I recently heard about these new twitter mini blogs that people use for quick conversations with their different communities everywhere they go. In one case, a woman confessed that she had just found out she had cancer. The response from her twitter community was immediate and very supportive. So, who knows.

I think the lack of social capital is widely acknowledged in the US, if not overtly. Efforts to bring people together such as stich n'bitch, book groups, meet up groups are lauded as healthy for society. But it is true that these activities seem to be less than in the past. ...less "

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February 11

Nyana marked as to-read:
The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country (Hardcover)
by Laton McCartney
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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Nyana gave

to:
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Mass Market Paperback)
by Bill Bryson

my rating:

recommended for: people fascinated by American particularities
read in November, 2008, has a copy to sell/swap

Nyana said: "It's rare to find a book that so wittily satirizes American culture while being so informative. It kinda makes me want to quit my job and wander through the woods for a while myself. However, it's a bit more comfortable to sit on my couch and be tr...more "

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Nyana marked as to-read:
The Kite Runner (Paperback)
by Khaled Hosseini
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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