Books Read and Audio Books Listened for 2010 Reviewed

Books Read and Audio Books Listened for 2010 Reviewed

by Craig Hamilton on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 2:36pm

Reviews are based on stars.

** The Ancestor’s Tale (did not finish) – Richard Dawkins - I skipped the invertebrate section because I felt already he was being to speculative. This part made up a good portion of the book, and I might have read it, had it been shorter.

* Inferno – Dante - One of those classics that would not make it in today's world.

**** God is Not Great – Christopher Hitchens - I believe in Goad. Christopher Hitchens doesn't. He loses a star for not successfully refuting any reasons why I believe in Goad.

***** Maimonides – Sherwin Nuland - Excellent! Nulland takes his atheism right out of the book and is a good reporter.

*** Voodoo Histories - David Aaronovitch - This should serve as a warning to how we view today when we look back on it.

**** Letter to a Christian Nation - Sam Harris - Dead on.

***** The Greatest Show on Earth - Richard Dawkins - Everyone should read this book. Evolution is impossible to deny.

**** The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins - I fall into the category of one of those believers that Dawkin's says deserve respect.

**** Finding Einstein's God - Krista Tippett - A good introduction to some of modernity's best thinkers.

**** Ecological Intelligence - Daniel Goleman - Gloom and doom that we all need to hear.

*** Emotional Intelligence (watched) - Daniel Goleman - I was expecting more. He should mention that emotional intelligence can also be pathological, such as in the case of Bernie Madoff.

**** Eaarth - Bill McKibben - The best world doom book going. It loses a star for being dated.

***** The Black Swan (listened) - Nassim Nicholas Taleb - It brought to my attention Hume's problem.

***** Our Choice - Al Gore - Dated, but really good info. This is a must read. It really makes sense to invest in renewable energy.

**** The Assault on Reason - Al Gore - Downright scary. We need to turn off our televisions!

*** An Inconvenient Truth (watched) - Al Gore - This is incomplete. Read Super Freakonomics and find out more.

** The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama - Worth reading.

*** Nomad - Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Loses two stars for failing to separate what is Islam and what is not Islam, but often uses what is not Islam to draw fear to her reader of Islam. Lot's of important issues are addressed in this book and it is still well worth reading.

*** The Sociopath Nextdoor - Martha Stout - It takes one to know one. Minus two stars. I just simply can't believe in her claim that 5% of us are sociopaths.

*** When Giants Fall - Michael J. Panzner - America is doomed, at least economically. I don't see a way out.

***** The Working Poor - David K. Shipler - Harvest of Shame was a very moving chapter.

**** The History of The Medieval World - Susan Wise Bauer - I learned a lot of history from reading this book, but it is a bit dry.

**** Jesus Interrupted - Bart D. Ehrman - Ehrman is one of my favorite authors.

***** Nemesis - Charlmers Johson - Another America booking showing that the best thinkers believe America is doomed.

***** Walden - Henry David Thoreau - Every real thinker is not wasteful.

* Alcibiades - Plato - Important evidence that Zeus really lived.

*** Symposium - Plato - A classic, but most classics really aren't that good.

***** Republic (reread) - Plato - A classic. This time one of the most important and best books ever written. This should be read by every high schooler.

***** The Apology of Socrates - Plato - Moving testimony to the tragic restistance of the truth.

**** True Compass - Ted Kennedy - He was one of America's most important men, and this is a darned good book that he wrote.

*** Chess for Dummies - I'm not very good at chess. I picked this up so that I might learn something, and I felt like I did.

** A Brief History of British Kings and Queens (did not finish) – Mike Ashley - This book is quite boring and dry.

*** This Is Your Brain on Music – Daniel J. Levitan - I love music.

*** Transforming America’s Israel Lobby – Fleshler - America's Israel lobby is very powerful and the author presents powerful arguments that question its ethics.

*** How to Profit from the Coming Rapture – Steve and Evie Levy - Invest in ungodliness. We all knew that, but it's funny to read.

*** Alexander Hamilton: American – Richard Brookhiser - I wish he won the Presidency. Maybe if he did he would have abolished slavery.

**** Just How Stupid Are We – Shenkman - Important. This will cause you to lose faith in democracy.

** The Hellenistic Age (did not finish) – Peter Green - I wasn't read for it yet. It was a little to specialized for me to benefit from.

*** Biography of John Adams - I love his federalism

**** John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life - Nagel - Nagel makes what could have otherwise been a boring book come alive.

*** Medieval Britain - Laing - Just another medieval historical book. Average. Importantly, it points out that the nobility and the clergy were at odds over the idea of chivalry.

***** Mythology (did not finish) - Edith Hamilton [Meghan said that she felt reading it was making me hyper-religious so I stopped] - A classic. I would say that this contains all the mythology that is important, as far as Greece is concerned. However, the section on Norse mythology is somewhat lacking.

***** Freakonomics - Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - I never new drug dealers never made a lot of money. Lot's of really interesting facts.

*** Super Freakonomics - Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - I already knew most of this stuff when I read the book so I wasn't as impressed.

**** Deep Economy - Bill McKibben - I'm sold on the idea that local economics is best.

* The Extended Phenotype – Richard Dawkins (did not finish) – good idea but a boring book

* The Greatest Generation – Tom Brocaw – Not inspiring. It has its moments

**Social Intelligence: The Science of Human Relationships - Daniel Goleman

1. The subheading of the book Social Intelligence should have been the title. The book should have been called The Science of Human Relationships. Lost a star.
2. Poor editing. Loss of a star
3. The use of many of the science experiments demonstrates that the author has very little social intelligence. For, example he using examples of whether or not baboons will shock another baboon so that they can eat. Loss of a star.

***** Aftershock: The Next Economy and The Future of America - Robert. B. Reich - Reich for President.

***** Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case for a More Joyful Christmas - Bill McKibben - Almost everyone knows that Christmas needs to be reinvented to a time of happiness.

***** The World Is Flat: A Brief History of The Twenty-First Century: Updated and Expanded 2.0 (2006) – Thomas L. Friedman – Demonstrates that the global playing field keeps getting leveled. The World Is Flat is must read for any teacher. I did not ask to read the newest version of this book to save the library system money, as this book belongs to my local library.

**** Infidel (audio book) – Ayaan Hirsi Ali – A brutally honest memoir, and an important introduction to Arabic and Islamic culture any Westerner should be familiar with. However, this is more about Arabic culture than Islam, so the title “Infidel” is inappropriate. Infidel covers much of the same material as her newer book Nomad, which I read first. I do not agree with all of the Koran. I am not a Muslim. However, like Ayaan, I believe Islam should go through a period of modernization, as right now it is anachronistic, as Christianity was before the Enlightenment. A wise teacher of mine asked me, “Why indict an entire nation for the actions of a few individuals?” relative to the nation of Islam. Indicting Christianity for its actions in the Middle and Dark Ages as I have done did me no good, and I don’t believe in the same way that indicting Islam will do any good. After listening to Infidel, which indicts all Muslims, I still do not have an answer to my teacher’s question. However, I do appreciate her call to an Islamic Enlightenment similar to the Western Enlightenment. I recommend listening to the audio book, Infidel, rather than reading the book, as Ayaan did a very good job with the reading. This book is rawer than Nomad. Nomad is more refined in its thinking, but this book was a better introduction Ayaan’s history. I have a great amount of empathy for her philosophical mistakes in this book, as I have honestly made many similar ones.

** Why Orwell Matters – Christopher Hitchens – I admit, I don’t understand much of this book, as it contains many references to people and their writing, which I am unfamiliar with. Of Orwell’s works I have only finished reading Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm. I would describe Hitchens’ book as well done pus. My guess is that the book is using a play on the word “Matters” that none of its reviewers on the jacket caught, definition 1 being to discharge pus, while definition 2 means to be of importance. For example, definition 1 might abstractly refer to Orwell’s contradictions, while definition 2 means that Orwell was in fact of great importance. This sort of attitude is typical of Christopher Hitchens and is quite amusing, and in the book Orwell is to. Overall a grey picture of Orwell is painted, some things about him are likable, but many people did not like him, such is the way of most people, like Orwell, that think profound thoughts. For example, Hitchens reports that Orwell was a homophobe, but then also reports highlights of some hints of homoeroticism in some of his lesser known works. As usual, with Orwell, and his word fearsome word “doublethink,” it takes one to know one, as Hitchens shows Orwell was deeply engrossed in doublethink himself.

* The World Is Curved: Hidden Dangers to the Global Economy – David M. Smick – Poorly written. He uses the letter “S” far too often. In the English code, “S,” whether at the beginning of a word, and/or the ending of a word, and/or the middle of a word indicates plurality. Plurality is one of the least liked aspects of my religion. Generally, I flat out disagree with his approach, but not his facts. For example, the author says that if we taxed the wealthy highly, that they would take their business elsewhere, leaving the USA behind. He uses the case of U2’s Bono, who supposedly had a heart of gold before he moved from Ireland in order to pay lower taxes. He steers the reader away from taxing the wealthy, while I was thinking, “Wait just a minute here Mr. Smick! If we tax the wealthy, and then they leave wouldn’t that be a good thing? Corporate America is full of narcissist CEOs and America would be better off if they relocated.” He also attacks the very noble Warren Buffett, whom is the richest man on earth, but yet honorably lives the middle class lifestyle. Warren Buffett demonstrates instinct for investment and knows that he should be paying higher taxes, which is essentially investing in the government to prevent it from failure. However, Smick throws the information he gives about Buffett in reverse and misinterprets him. The book is not a complete failure. The chapter on China is a must read! Aside from its failures, the chapter on China caused me to give this book a starred review.

**** Supercapitalism: Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life by Robert B. Reich – Shows how capitalism is not necessarily humane through vehicles such as Wal-Mart, political lobbyists, American history, and the economic system: investors, corporations and consumers. He successfully argues against laissez faire capitalism, in that since corporations are amoral - capitalism cannot be expected to regulate itself - congressional legislation, empowerment of democracy, is needed.

**** The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (audio book) – While this work is sufficient to stir the imagination, what it lacks is a character that I can relate to. Generally, I am unable to feel much empathy with these characters, and even less so in the book than in the movie. Though this book is well read – Rob Inglis did a good job - for the next book in the trilogy, I will try actually reading it instead of listening to it to see if that allows me to enjoy it more.

The recording was done on cassette tapes. Wow! What a blast from the past! Additionally, this recording came out before the event of the movie, 1991. It required me pulling out from the closet an old Aiwa amplifier/compact disk player/cassette recorder that I used back when I attended college. The compact disk player part of the system has long been broken, but the tape player still works. In fact, I thought of throwing it out, but then I decided to save it so that I could show my son Alex a piece of history, cassette tapes. These things I can only do when he is old enough to understand.

I also have a compact disk player walkman that I used to plug in so that I didn’t have to buy a new stereo system when the compact disk player in this system broke, and an old pair of compact computer speakers. The amplifier and the original speakers worked fine, so I thought to myself; why throw out the stereo if only one part of this is broken? When listening to The Hobbit, however, I didn’t use the original speakers, however, but the compact computer speakers. I didn’t need the volume or the quality; and, I desired to save space because my family has only a small apartment.

I call this a Dominican stereo, as the stereo systems in the Dominican Republic are often a collection of random leftover parts. The ability to adapt the compact disk player to the system comes via a common stereo cable that plugs into the headphone jack of the compact disk player walkman and selecting the auxiliary source to be amplified on the amplifier. The speakers of the system have their own amplifier, such that it requires a male adapter to go from the large male plug in the system and the small male plug, which connects the speakers to the system. That is though it is not a very large system, the power from the amplifier, if sent directly to the compact computer speakers would overload them, as the compact speakers require a load about the level that a head phone jack gives. Thus, it is such that the volume on the compact computer speakers needs adjusting and the volume on the amplifier needs adjusting, and if the compact disk walkman is used, impossible in this scenario as this recording of The Hobbit was on cassette tapes, a third volume knob is added.

*** Maybe One: A Personal and Environmental Argument for Single-Child Families by Bill McKibben –

The argument is weak because it is poorly organized though glancing at the table of contents it appears otherwise. Perhaps, this is why McKibben used the word “Maybe” in the title. I suggest that the best argument for single-child families is buried in the book and, McKibben should have used it as a thesis in the introduction to the book, as it makes more sense to use strong persuasion than weak persuasion. The passage is as follows:

“But Malthus never goes away. The idea that we might grow too big can only be disproved for the moment, never for good. We might always be on the threshold of a special time, when the mechanism described by Boserup and Simon stop working. It is true that Malthus was wrong when the population doubled from 750 million to 1.5 billion. It is true that Malthus was wrong when the population doubled from 1.5 billion to 3 billion. It is true that Malthus was wrong when the population doubled from 3 billion to 6 six billion. But it’s also true that a car can go 15 miles an hour safely, and 30, and 60 and maybe even 120 on a nice straight highway. Even at Indy, though, they haven’t gotten up to 240. Will Malthus still be wrong fifty years from now?”

Another highlight of the book is the author’s mentioning of his own vasectomy. This is in the last section, which I thought was the best in the book. That’s putting making your aligning your actions with your words, agreement. Additionally, the author mentions that he only has one child, himself. I identify with his sadness in getting the operation, but also identify with his sense of duty in doing it. It combined well with a mixed up religious sentiment making for an emotive experience in the reader, after all the G-d of the Bible does command us to, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Yet, McKibben finds a clever way around this, as he says that with a world population of 6 billion that we can check of this commandment as having been fulfilled.

**** Churchill by Paul Johnson (audio book) – Simon Prebble’s delivery makes for an audio book. I have no real negative criticisms. The author and the narrator both do an excellent job. Additionally, this is an unabridged version, but it is short and sweet.

*** Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Bill Clinton – What this book needs is a bit of naughtiness. It is overly moral. For example there are a few turns that he could have taken with respect to something like HIV/AIDS that would have made for a more interesting book.

PIRQE ABOTH 1:7. Jehoshua' ben Perachia and Matthai the Arbelite received from them. Jehoshua' ben Perachiah said, Make unto thyself a master; and possess thyself of an associate; and judge every man in the scale of merit.

PIRQE ABOTH 2:8. He used to say, More flesh, more worms: more treasures, more care: more maidservants, more lewdness: more menservants, more theft: more women, more witchcrafts: more Thorah, more life: more wisdom, more scholars: more righteousness, more peace. He who has gotten a good name has gotten it for himself. He who has gotten to himself words of Thorah, has gotten to himself the life of the world to come.

This book, “Giving,” at times appears to be all about saving flesh. It’s as if Bill Clinton believes, “The more flesh the better.” This seems in contradiction with the verses (available at www.sacred-texts.com). That is; where is Bill Clinton’s merit in multiplying flesh? Yes, the Rwandan genocide was a tragedy, but the world replaces that many people in two days (in reference to the 800,000 slaughtered.) I believe that Bill Clinton does not agree with merely saving flesh, but he needs to take a stand for it or else he comes across as wishy-washy. For example, when he is talking about saving people that have HIV/AIDS, he should perhaps emphasize that AIDS is a gift that keeps on giving, instead of merely mentioning it in the chapter, “Gifts that Keep on Giving,” and then vaguely dancing around the subject. Saving people with AIDS has a great potential to regulate the human population, such that we don’t destroy our planet!

This book is just not about wickedness. Generally, it reveals ways in which people can be generous to create social mobility. Of course, the creation of social mobility is a much more noble way of giving, than the gift of creating the possibility for disease to manifest. Given the title, it should have been important for Bill Clinton to not obscure ways people can give, even if they are wicked.

A second major criticism I have of this book is that it is essentially an outline turned into text. It would have been better left as a mere outline, instead of using the extra words to connect the dots. Additionally, there is very little evaluation, such as cons, of the vast amount of charitable organizations he lists. While it is good to give to charity, it is also good to use what you have to give wisely. For example, though Bill Clinton mentions the Salvation Army, he does not mention that it is faith based, such that the Salvation Army gives a religious salvation pitch in addition to charity. If you are an atheist, Muslim and/or a Jew that desires to give to charity, you might believe that the Salvation Army is not the best way to give, such that that information is important. Truly, I could have come up with most of the relevant information in this book with a couple Google searches. Though I haven’t done it, I bet simply typing NGO for a search would provide me with the essential information in this book. However, though I did read about some interesting charities, I hoped for more evaluation of them, which Clinton did not give me. Essentially, Clinton’s evaluation of each charity usually centered on whether it was big or small.

One charity that I liked best in the book was Heifer International.

***** The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - Perhaps, the book I have enjoyed the most this year. Seriously, this book is better than the translation of Proverbs in the Tanakh.

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