Thoughts: Animal Farm

I finally got around to reading George Orwell's satire on the Russian Revolution, Animal Farm. For those shy to anything labled "satire," have no fear; this book is an easy read, with the original title containing A Fairy Tale as the subtitle. Even if you know nothing of Stalin and the rise of Communism in Russia, you will be able to point out everything that goes wrong in this book.

Animal Farm is created after farm animals, tired of the way they are treated by their two legged master, revolt and take over the farm. At first the animals are excited and happy, creating their own laws that would make a reign like the one they suffered impossible to occur again. But the tides change once the clever pig Napoleon declares himself leader.

Like mentioned before, this is a very simple read. And quick, my copy at less than one hundred pages. But don't let that turn you away; the entire time I wanted to jump into the story and try to set everything straight. The story can be applied to any kind of political system really; it shows the importance of challenging government and making sure power is with the people. A good prereq before diving into 1984, where there are more details in a distopian society.

Thoughts: American Gods

Shadow is man with a past. But now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life with his wife and stay out of trouble. Until he learns that she's been killed in a terrible accident.

Flying home for the funeral, as a violent storm rocks the plane, a strange man in the seat next to him introduces himself. The man calls himself Mr. Wednesday, and he knows more about Shadow than is possible.

He warns Shadow that a far bigger storm is coming. And from that moment on, nothing will ever be the same...

Quotes

Ah, Neil Gaiman. One of favorite authors.

And to be honest, American Gods did not hit me as quick as the other books. This one is as dark as others, but written without the regular lightheartedness. It's still wonderful.

Here's how it goes: Once let out of prison and learning of his wife's death, Shadow becomes the body guard and odd job man of a stranger called Wednesday. From there, he is launched into the middle of a storm, a big one, where Gods of all religions, cultures, and ways of life who have been brought to America by their worshipers are arguing and deciding on their own fate.

What I absolutley love is how Gaiman got the idea- America has no gods, just people who believe in them. Gods from all over the world have migrated with those that believe in them to America, where slowly over the centuries, they are becoming diminished and forgotten. New forces- forces of the industrial age, of the science age- are in the minds of America's people now. But what of the old gods?

Gaiman has a great way of making his characters like people you once knew, but lost track of over time. They're real, and you know they've always been real, even before you started reading about them. It's a perfect skill to have, when you're creating a world where Gods have struggled to survive among real, modern day people. Shadow is also a great character to follow; I was rooting for him the whole way, sorry that he had been thrown into this ordeal without him having to seek for my pity.

Even the epilogue was great. It tied up a few things to make a bang ending, a reminder that Gods will be Gods.

Okay, you get it, I loved it. My one problem: the climax, the storm- I don't know how much of a spoiler this is- but if you've read The Stand by Stephen King, the storm ends in a similar way. After all the build up, it's a bit of let down to have things end peacefully. And I'll leave it at that.

Thoughts: A Typology of Domestic Violence

In this path-breaking reassessment of thirty years of domestic violence research, sociologist Michael J. Johnson argues the domestic violence is not a unitary phenomenon. Instead, he delineates three major, dramatically different forms of domestic violence- intimate violence terrorism, violent resistance, and situational couple violence- and shows that the failure to distinguish among these types of partner violence has produced a research literature that is plagued by both overgeneralizations and ostensibly contradictory findings. By creating the theoretical framework to differentiate among types of partner violence, this volume represents the crucial first step to a better understanding of domestic violence among scholars, social scientists, policy makers, and service providers.

Okay, so A Typology of Domestic Violence doesn't seem like a read you want to snuggle under the covers with, and probably sounds like something that might be taught in a family violence course. For me, this book qualified in both categories, and happens to be the best late night/early morning cram session book I've ever read (yes, I know, not saying much, but here me out). At a short 86 pages, I read this in one sitting and actually enjoyed it. I thought I would fall asleep after two pages of more domestic violence statistics and research, like other texts for this class, but this book was excellent. It's about different types of violent partners, something that has not been researched thoroughly or enough, according to the author. It does not require you to know any theories related to family violence, and is written for someone who has never studied the topic. And, best yet: It's actually an interesting read!

Now, I'm going to assume most people are not sold on this book, and that's understandable- it's certainly not something I would pick up off the shelf if my grade didn't depend on it. But I would recommend it to anyone who wants a better understanding of domestic violence, for personal reasons or otherwise. It was an enlightening read and was enjoyable at the same time. There is one account given as an example of one typology, and there is a warning before reading- pay attention to that warning! I felt sick after reading it, and it was the first time I had felt uncomfortable after taking a semester on the topic.

Thoughts: The Light Fantastic

In The Light Fantastic only one individual can save the world from a disastrous collision. Unfortunately, the hero happens to be the singularly inept wizard Rincewind, who was last seen falling off the edge of the world...

Terry Pratchett is well known for his comedy/parody/satire series Discworld, and The Light Fantastic is the second in the series. I fell in love with the fist book immediately, and in this one I fell for the characters even more. I couldn't help but wonder how Pratchett creates all the ridiculous situations presented, and the characters reactions are so spot on to their personalities. Each character is like an exaggeration to one/a few human characteristics, and it makes them outrageous and laughable. I love the parody, and hope I didn't miss anything- I would not have caught the Orpheus quip had I not seen Eurydice a weekend or two ago. It is such a talent that he can weave quick details of fantasy, mythology, and science fiction pop culture into his stories.

Anybody looking for a light hearted read needs to look no farther- the books in this series will take a few sittings to finish and you'll be ready to pick up the next one.

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Thoughts: Sunny Side Down

I first saw animations from Tales of Mere Existence only two weeks ago, so I was very surprised when a friend handed me Sunny Side Down, a collection of Tales. This 200 page comic series was a breeze to read through- I did it in one sitting, laughing every now and then at the silly protagonist and his thoughts on life past and present. I was expecting more giggles than were expelled from my giggling gland (sorry, I'm usually weary of alliteration), but I enjoyed the light read with depressing undertones. I wouldn't recommend buying it, but definitely check out some of the online animations (I've linked two favorites below). If you got a second in the bookstore, go ahead and flip through. It's a favorite of the friend who owns it. It is my kind of humor, but I can't tell if it's just delivered in the wrong way or if there is just too much stuff like it out there. It could even be that I saw the animations first, and I like how the narrator delivers the narratives in gloom and doom manner. Maybe I was reading it with the wrong voice in my head. Does anybody else make voices for when they're reading?

How I Found Out About Girls

I'm Not Going to Think About Her

Thoughts: Tao Te Ching

I have wanted to read the Tao Te Ching for a long time now. For anyone unfamiliar, the Tao is the force that flows through all living things. It is a spiritual book, Taoism being one the main religions of ancient China. It can be eye opening at times, and made me think about how I act. Although each proverb, if you will, is short, it is rather poetic and deserves to be read slowly and thought about. I recommend finding a copy with notes, but not a full a on analysis- think through it for yourself and find what it means to you. Good for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the world in general- the Tao will teach you how to relax and go with the flow. I enjoyed this book greatly, because it's one of those reads that make you stop and think. It's difficult giving a review- I feel like some chapters will receive very different reactions. I wish I had someone to discuss specific proverbs with, it would make the experience (yes, reading this was an experience) all the better.


Quotes: Tao Te Ching

(Harmonizes)

When the sage lives with people, she harmonizes with them
And conceals her mind for them.
The sages treat them as their little children

(Illumination)

Seeing the subtle is illumination.
Keeping flexible is called strength
Use the illumination, but return to the light.
Don't bring harm to yourself.

(Nothing Can Alter It)

Nothing in the world is softer than water,
Yet nothing is better at overcoming the hard and strong.
This is because nothing can alter it.

Other Quotes

Thoughts: She's Not There

It's pride week! Today in my Human Sexuality class we had Jenny Boylan as a guest speaker, author of required reading She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders. Jenny's book is about the first half of her life physically being a male but feeling like a female, and her transition to a transexual.

I enjoyed reading this book- it's funny and personal, but most of all, it helped me to understand how someone can be one sex but feel like the opposite gender. This book was like reading the mind of a transgender person and it was helpful to me in my understanding of transgender people. I think there should be more literature out there like this- a huge reason people are disciminated against is because others do not understand. Fear of the unkown creates prejudice and transgender can sound like a complicated topic to someone unfamiliar with the issues.

This is also a book about becoming who you are. What surprised me the most while reading was Jennys internal struggle when she was a man (James). James said he would wake up in the morning, thinking he was a woman, but then have to force himself to become a man, when physically, he was male. This is something he struggled with until after marriage. It was his refusal to acknowledge that he knew he was female that surprised me. I have never thought about the internal struggle probably a lot of people, including non transgender people, have. This book did a wonderful job in showing that internal struggle and how it can destroy a person.