Being a train commuter, I get the chance to read quite a bit. And being a member of the Chicago Public Library, I am able to check out the newest books of the season via my Kindle.
Parameters: I enjoy books which address human suffering, complicated relationships, or ones that enlighten us on life.
I’ve attempted to write a one sentence summary of my thoughts after reading the book, or what I felt the book was trying to accomplish.
BEST
- The Life of Pi– a friend recommended this book to me, and I did expect a profound ending. This book is pure imagination, and only for those who let their minds go on an adventure. I don’t want to spoil the end, but I enjoyed the philosophical underpinnings of the story.
- My thought? “Illusion helps cover pain.”
- The Help- I had several “aha” moments when it came to topics discussed in this book: racial tensions, white guilt, and modern prejudices. I found this to be uplifting and lighthearted despite the heavy subject matter.
- My thought? “I still have negative perceptions of Southern culture.”
- The Jungle- understanding the patterns of immigration in Chicago, and the difficulties in the meat packing houses of early 1900s Chicago. Reinforced my decision to life a vegetarian lifestyle. This book left me with several strong emotions- just when this guy’s life started to get better, it got worse.
- My thought? ”Every criminal has a reason for the decisions they made. Whether they were wise or not, many people’s lack of choices lead them to crime.”
- Marriage is for White People- I also had several aha moments while reading this book on the challenges that the African American community faces when it comes to family and marriage.
- My thought? ”A lack of marriable men in a society, causes a whole slew of problems.”
- The Mahabharat- Sons of Gods–typically a rusty, poorly translated epic, only this particular translation captured my attention, and expressed the real heart of the story in English. The author basically translated this in “thought for thought” method rather than “word for word.” Sort of like “The Message” versus “The King James.”
- My thought? ”Aahhh, now I get why Arjun is a big deal.”
- Being Different: An Indian Challenge to Western Universalism- one of the most challenging philosophical and comparative religious books I’ve read. He is deeply mechanical with his analysis, and uses many “behind the scenes” examples which are very anti-Abrahamic. This guy really hates Abrahamic religions and has obviously been wounded by Jews or Christians in the past. This book is a reaction to people thinking that Hinduism is merely animistic.
- My thought? ”This author’s agenda—dharmik philosophies are the only world through view to subscribe to, and if you disagree, you’re an idiot.”
- Dreaming in Hindi -one of the best practical linguistic books I’ve read coupled with a woman’s personal journey of learning a new language in her middle age years. I could relate to some of her struggles, but certainly not all of the problems she brought on herself from bed hopping and flirting with random men.
- My thought? ”There is definitely a right and wrong way of learning a language within the subcontinent, and this woman did it right.”
- When She Was White: Biography of Sandra Lange This woman was born into a white Afrikaaner who was born with African black African features. During the time of deep segregation, family people who were between the lines got trampled on. Sandra Lange is an inspiring character, but also has a sad story.
- My thought? ”Seeing deeply wounded people change their behaviors is almost impossible. A very uphill battle.”
WORST
- Gora- I read the most horrific translation of this book ever known to mankind. But I muscled through it and finally got to the end since I heard it was such a great book. I couldn’t keep track of the characters. The only way I made it through is because I knew the ending. I was honestly just looking forward to the ending. It was awful.
- My thought? ”People are judgmental until it hits too close to home.”
- At Home By Bill Bryson- this didn’t capture my attention until page 250. By that time it had taken me so long to get there, the book was due back and magically disappeared off my Kindle and back into the Chicago Public Library archives.
- My thought? “Do I really care about the history of the armchair in England? No.”
- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson- by far the most boring book I’ve ever attempted to read. He starts in the stars and the galaxies, and ends in the garbage dump. Basically I felt like this book was just propagating a particular worldview more than entertaining the reader.
- My thought? “Wow, if you don’t prescribe to this worldview there is nothing for you in this book.”
- The Invisible Man- This classic left me disappointed – I was expecting some philosophical ending, but was left underwhelmed.
- “That’s it?”
OTHERS I READ, BUT DON’T HAVE A STRONG OPINION ON
- Crazy Love by Francis Chan- since many were in a craze, I also jumped on the bandwagon. A straightforward, to the point, inspirational piece on rekindling a relationship with God.
- 7 Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Deepak Chopra- you can’t teach yogic philosophy in a book. Had some good summaries, but I can’t imagine anyone would retain this without actually practicing yoga.
- Multiplication is for White People- this book probably could have been 20 pages and made the same point it did in 200.
- Sideways on a Scooter by Miranda Kennedy- another foreign woman’s adventures in India. While part of it I could relate to, much of it I couldn’t, but still a well written memoir on her experience.
- Ishmael- This classic left an impression on me for a couple weeks, and I was surprised at the philosophical conversation this turned into. It brought up some challenging thoughts on the environment, ethics, and supremacy of man.
- A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson- another hilarious Bill Bryson memoir. Look out for bears.
- Three Cups of Tea- I read this about 4 years too late., as the controversy about Greg Mortenson had already arisen. He did many things “the wrong way” when it comes to development and many things “the right way” when it came to building relationships and caring about people. I felt like this was a case of the headstrong American doing whatever he wanted, even if half of it was stupid. Very entertaining and imaginative story.
