brendamn's Reviews (370)

This is the book to go to for a good read about death personified. If you have ever thought about picking up On a Pale Horse, don't. Read this instead.

I wish this was the Cormac McCarthy novel I chose to read first, nothing to be done about that now and not like that is any big deal. It is a fantastic read and I am sure it will stick with me for a long time. Of all the books I have read from him so far, this one best balances all the things that are uniquely and unmistakably Cormac McCarrthy.

This was an incredible read, and recommend to everyone and anyone. While this is a book about the internet and technology, it is most importantly about human rights. China uses the internet primarily as a weapon and a means of mass control. This observation does not come as a surprise to many, but the sophistication of their methods, the affects it has had on collectives and individuals, and the implications for the future detailed in this book ought to be absolutely shocking.

Their internet and their methods of censorship are incredible, second to none, and it is improving all the time. It is impressive what they have achieved and their effectiveness, and that is awful. This is not done with the welfare of their people in mind, but for supreme authority and the elimination of any dissent. Any criticisms from their citizens can and do end in many instances of imprisonment and torture. Not as much so, but death as well.

The crazy thing is how Russia's operations on the internet have garnered almost undivided attention, because they learn from and are far out-shadowed by China in this field. What they have is amateur in comparison, and given the power they have exerted makes that no small statement. It is not just a problem with China, they are extending their capabilities to any sympathetic government that has the capacity for implementation. And all along the way major tech companies are giving up the money and resources to strengthen these goals.

This is something that can only become worse and more pervasive with time. Read it even if this review is not compelling or lacking in eloquence, if it is then it is just a disservice to what Griffiths has achieved with this book.

Absolutely phenomenal. Why did I not read this sooner?

The first-person narration in this book is incredible, and I admittedly don't really pay much mind to that as a quality factor in most that I read (well, unless when it is unavoidably atrocious. Kawakami is undeniably a gifted narrator, which in turn is what made Natsu such a compelling character.

I am not a woman of course, many of the issues that Breasts and Eggs touches on are issues I can not understand and relate to on a inherent and the most personal level. Despite that though, I'd like to say this book has gotten me a considerable distance closer towards minimizing that gap. I believe it fair to say it has allowed me a more genuine and defined empathy.

It is worth noting that my observation above does not factor into my opinion that this is an excellent book. My personal perspective is not something the majority of readers will have, or even need to have, and including those considerations when it comes to determining quality would be unfair. Breasts and Eggs succeeds based on its own merits, because Kawakami is an wonderful writer.

The ethical debate Kawakami facilitates in the book over childbirth was quite compelling and also posed arguments I hadn't thought of or been exposed to before. It did weigh more heavily on the pessimistic side of things, though I felt there was merit there nonetheless.