Month: March 2020

Sapiens

Background

Published in 2014, “Sapiens” is written by historian Yuval Noah Harari that offers a sweeping overview of the history of humankind. Harari traces the evolution of our species from the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa to the present day, exploring how we became the dominant species on the planet, how our ability to create myths and shared beliefs allowed us to build complex societies and cooperate on a massive scale, and how our technological advancements have fundamentally altered the course of human history. The book challenges readers to think deeply about what it means to be human and offers insights into the ways in which our species has both succeeded and failed in the pursuit of happiness, meaning, and progress.

Sapiens
Sapiens

My Thoughts

What I enjoyed most about the book was that the author would present different sides of each point. For example, he started talking about the utopian concept of the prehistoric hunter gather life being better and fuller than life today. When he started down that path I remember thinking, “here we go”. However, he then balanced the comments with the perspectives of utilitarianism, stoicism, and the concepts of suffering as the Buddhists understand it.

I found some of it to be over generalized but I felt it was a good overview of the main topic.

Recommendation

This work would be a good primer for sociology or psychology classes.

W is for Wasted

Background

Published in 2013, W is for Wasted is the 23rd book of the Kinsey Millhone series. Kinsey’s name shows up on a piece of paper found in the hand of a homeless man found dead on the beach. Was he looking for a private investigator or was he her long lost cousin who was accidentally killed by a rouge experiment and left hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kinsey because he was ticked off at his kids? You’ll have to read to decide…

W is for Wasted
W is for Wasted

My thoughts

It took me a while to get into this one. I actually read the next book “X” before this one so I knew how a couple of things turned out but it was still enjoyable.

Recommendation

Not the best but I’ve certainly read worse.

The Scorch Trials

Background

Published in 2010, The Scorch Trials is the sequel to The Maze Runner. This book picks up right where the last left off taking Tomas and the other “Gladers” into their next series of events. They quickly learn they are not out of peril yet…

The Scorch Trials
The Scorch Trials

My Thoughts

Good book all and all. It was a pleasure to read a novel again after doing a lot of more technical material.

This book was very similar to the first in that it does a good job of getting into the mind of a teenager who is trying to cope with a world that doesn’t make sense. However, it has some of the downfalls as the first book as well. The kids get over the death of their friends remarkably quickly. This is somewhat explained by their involvement and being “chosen” to participate in the trials. However, it felt pretty unrealistic.

Recommendation

It was worth the time. I didn’t get bored and was interested throughout the book.

Vietnam A History

Background

Published in 1983, Vietnam A History is a comprehensive history of Vietnam of the events leading up and through the war through the eyes of a WWII vet turned correspondent for several news outlets:

  • Paris correspondent for Time magazine.
  • Asian correspondent for Time-Life from 1959 to 1962,
  • The London Observer from 1961 to 1965,
  • The Saturday Evening Post from 1963 to 1965
  • The Washington Post from 1965 to 1971.
  • Diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post in 1971 and 1972
  • Special correspondent for NBC and an associate editor of The New Republic from 1973 to 1975.
  • Columnist for King Features from 1975 to 1988
  • French newsweekly Le Point from 1976 to 1983 and for Newsweek International from 1977 to 1981.
Vietnam a History
Vietnam a History

My Thoughts

This book was a slog to get through. I found the writing to be plain and dry and the subject matter to be depressing and demoralizing. It seems like a good way to sum up the war in Vietnam.

I don’t know that I would have continued were it not good for my professional life to have more depth and understanding of the war.

I learned a great deal but feel I have to take a grain of salt with the content. I have respect for the author but it some of his comments made me feel like he was looking through a particular ideology. I intend to pick up another history to compare and contrast.