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353 reviews by:
marieshan4321
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Lowe had such a great eye. The photographs were beautifully taken. This was a really nice insight into the Kennedy clan.
dark
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read a few dystopian novels this year for the first time since I was a teenager. I'm not sure if that says something about me or the state of the world at the moment.
Written in the 1950s, Fahrenheit 451 is almost frighteningly relevant. Bradbury talks about the fast paced nature of society, the numbness and disconnect between people, the weaning attention-spans, absorption in technology and a widespread obssesion with a virtual world that isn't real...sounds familiar.
He also highlights the role of literature in linking people to each other, to their history and to the commonality of the human experience. He muses on how these things can be lost in a world where people have become walking zombies who would rather continue in their own bubbles instead of looking outside themselves and paying attention to each other and the world around them.
Honestly terrifying.
My only issue with Farhenheit 451 was the sheer amount of info dumping we get halfway through the story from a small number of characters. In general, I usually prefer world building to be integrated, but from what I've read in other dystopias this does seem to be a common occurrence for the genre.
Written in the 1950s, Fahrenheit 451 is almost frighteningly relevant. Bradbury talks about the fast paced nature of society, the numbness and disconnect between people, the weaning attention-spans, absorption in technology and a widespread obssesion with a virtual world that isn't real...sounds familiar.
He also highlights the role of literature in linking people to each other, to their history and to the commonality of the human experience. He muses on how these things can be lost in a world where people have become walking zombies who would rather continue in their own bubbles instead of looking outside themselves and paying attention to each other and the world around them.
Honestly terrifying.
My only issue with Farhenheit 451 was the sheer amount of info dumping we get halfway through the story from a small number of characters. In general, I usually prefer world building to be integrated, but from what I've read in other dystopias this does seem to be a common occurrence for the genre.
medium-paced
"When I am dead—I say it that way because from the things I know, I do not expect to live long enough to read this book in its finished form—I want you to watch and see if I am right in what I say: that the white man, in his press, is going to identify me with "hate". He will make use of me in death as he has made use of me in life, as a convenient symbol of "hatred" —and that will help him to escape facing the truth that all I have been doing is holding up a mirror to reflect, to show, the history of unspeakable crimes that his race has committed against my race."
The ending was so incredibly sad. Just so freaking sad.
The journey and transition Malcolm X went through during his short life was so fascinating–from a child whose home was broken by the system, to a teenager embroiled in organised crime, to preacher for the Nation of Islam to once of the most influential civil rights activists of the 1960s. Malcolm's story highlights to me the importance of resilience, adaptability and the ability to keep an open mind–all of which were things he learned along the way. It also emphasises the power of education, of unity and of the importance of never forgetting history.
Malcolm X was an interesting guy–full of contradictions. It's a strange thing to think about–the world we may live in if he and so many leaders of his generation had not been taken before their time.
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, Authorized Edition: Final Report of the National Commission on the Causes of the Financial and Economic Crisis in
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
informative
medium-paced
read for risk management and derivate markets class. spoilers, the risks were not managed...
Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy
informative
medium-paced
If it was a triumph, it was a triumph for the next generation and not for any particular government or its people.
When it comes to an insider account of the Cuban Missile Crisis, there wasn't much more of an insider than Robert Kennedy. His perspective on the Cuban Missile Crisis offers an intimate insight into discussions going on behind the scenes during the events of that period.
'13 Days' was an excellent account, underscoring the necessity of maintaining common sense and a cool head during times of crisis, a quality that both JFK and Khrushchev ultimately exhibited, to the benefit of global stability.
It also highlighted the critical role of debate and discourse and the value of incorporating diverse viewpoints in decision-making processes, seen through the efficacy of Ex Comm meetings and the Kennedys' decision ''not to be insulated from individuals or points of view because of rank or position". Furthermore, it illustrated the significance of allowing political adversaries the space and opportunity necessary to express their positions and the imperative of exploring all potential avenues for peaceful resolution prior to contemplating military action.
Unfortunately, everything expressed by RFK in this is every bit as relevant now as it was in 1962.
This experience pointed out to all of us the importance of civilian direction and control and the importance of raising probing questions to military recommendations
The thought that made the prospect of war much more fearful than it would otherwise have been, was the specter of the death of the children of this country and all the world—the young people who had no role, who had no say, who knew nothing even of the confrontation, but whose lives would be snuffed out like everyone else’s...The great tragedy was that, if we erred, we erred not only for ourselves, our futures, our hopes, and our country, but for the lives, futures, hopes, and countries of those who had never been given an opportunity to play a role, to vote aye or nay, to make themselves felt.
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
If it was a triumph, it was a triumph for the next generation and not for any particular government or its people.
When it comes to an insider account of the Cuban Missile Crisis, there wasn't much more of an insider than Robert Kennedy. His perspective on the Cuban Missile Crisis offers an intimate insight into discussions going on behind the scenes during the events of that period.
'13 Days' was an excellent account, underscoring the necessity of maintaining common sense and a cool head during times of crisis, a quality that both JFK and Khrushchev ultimately exhibited, to the benefit of global stability.
It also highlighted the critical role of debate and discourse and the value of incorporating diverse viewpoints in decision-making processes, seen through the efficacy of Ex Comm meetings and the Kennedys' decision ''not to be insulated from individuals or points of view because of rank or position". Furthermore, it illustrated the significance of allowing political adversaries the space and opportunity necessary to express their positions and the imperative of exploring all potential avenues for peaceful resolution prior to contemplating military action.
Unfortunately, everything expressed by RFK in this is every bit as relevant now as it was in 1962.
This experience pointed out to all of us the importance of civilian direction and control and the importance of raising probing questions to military recommendations
The thought that made the prospect of war much more fearful than it would otherwise have been, was the specter of the death of the children of this country and all the world—the young people who had no role, who had no say, who knew nothing even of the confrontation, but whose lives would be snuffed out like everyone else’s...The great tragedy was that, if we erred, we erred not only for ourselves, our futures, our hopes, and our country, but for the lives, futures, hopes, and countries of those who had never been given an opportunity to play a role, to vote aye or nay, to make themselves felt.