A Book a Week

Finished 7/23/22  Another book said to be the author's favorite one authored that he wrote (I'm a sucker for these). Given that Sowell has written more than 40 books, not to mention many, many essays and decades worth of syndicated columns. Yet this is his favorite.  I can see why. Discrimination and Disparities is a masterful treatis on why activists, philosophers, politicians, and other people who do not suffer the consequences of their ideas continually try to tinker with circumstances and society to make things "fair" to their chosen victim group. From Affirmative Action to sex education, from welfare to integration, the "good intentions" (which are really actionable biases) of these tinkerers invariably 1) fail, 2) fail for the same reasons and in the same ways they have previously, and 3) hurt the very people it is said they will benefit. Yet undeterred, the tinkerers publish their research, write their books, organize their marches, and pass their le...

 Finished 7/17/2022 I inherited 8 or so copies of this book when I took over teaching British Literature at our homeschool co-op. I had never read it, and it being on a list of 40 or so books that my students can choose from for a year-end paper, I thought I'd better read it.  I had tried to read it as an adult, but the bullying and violence were pretty hard to take. I had put it down because it was depressing to see a micro-society where human society completely breaks down into crime and violence.  But this time I stuck it out, taking a more academic view of the book. And I'm glad I did. Golding has completely mastered the novel form with this book, which combines vivid descriptions, poignant scenes, and blooming character development. Witness this text from the beginning of Chapter Four, as the boys begin to settle in to their island life. "The first rhythm that they became used to was the slow swing from dawn to quick dusk. They accepted the pleasures of morning, the ...

 Finished 7/12/22

 Finished 7/12/22 This is a good lay reference for making an argument, written for teachers, preachers, authors, and as an introduction to debating. It has depth, but it's not too technical. The instructions are easy to remember and from a Christian perspective. A very important point this book made was knowing the reason for your argument. From this, everything flows. There's a big difference between arguing for a particular perspective of a Biblical account vs. being on a university panel in front of a hostile audience.  A very good book which I will refer to in my high school Logic class. 

  Date finished: June 21, 2022 This is the first memoir from a survivor of the USS Arizona who was there on the day of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, who has since passed away. The story is told well, with backgrounds provided on the author as well as other shipmates and their families. These backgrounds are usually given to provide context to the circumstances of the story, and they do, but they also give a vivid picture of life in the 1940s and 1950s, particularly military life. This was a gripping book, which had me in tears more than once. Chapter 4 is the chapter that describes that day, and it's unforgettable. What those men went through, the destruction, the deception and glee of the Japanese fighters, and the bravery of both the victims and survivors are almost too much to take in. But this book deals with more than just the attack. Chapters 5 and following retell the recovery of the author, who had serious burns all over his body, and the others who were wounded that...

 Date finished: July 2, 2022 I had read this book earlier in my life, possibly in high school. I remember it made an impression on me then because, naive as I was, I did not see the end coming. This time, I knew how it would end, making this reading far more poignant.  The ending, of course, is foreshadowed many times in the book. When Carlson takes Candy's old dog out and shoots him, we have a picture of what will happen to Lenny. Lenny's indiscretion in the previous town foreshadows his troubles on the ranch. The dead mouse in his pocket, and the dead puppy, foreshadow the dead girl. His strength when he defends himself against Curley foreshadow his lack of restraint when he tries to quiet the struggling girl. You see it coming, but somehow, you have to read on.  Other than the inevitable and tragic major plot arc, I do love the descriptive talent of John Steinbeck. When he set a scene, he does so not with a forensic description of what's there, but a spare, poetic obse...