Five (Green and) Golden Things
Four songs by “the Chairman of the Board” on his birthday
Another year, another bunch of book recommendations.
I'll try to explain what you're getting into . . .
1) This is the book everyone should read, but most people won't because it's a depressing topic and certainly not something you want to think about-- and aren't some powerful people smarter than us dealing with this situation?
Well . . . not really . . . that's the point.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Akkad's indictment of the liberal media and the governmental response to the Israel/Palestine conflict is surprisingly readable, despite the violence, suppression, terrorism, displacement, starvation, military incursions, explosions, and horror. . . . his point, that the logical, moral position is not halfway between the right and the left-- as they are both ignoring reality-- and the center is as morally repugnant in its policy and more milquetoast and unfocused, especially when atrocities are being committed and a people are being displaced and destroyed. I don't see a happy ending to this story, now or in the future, but Akkad wants, at the very least, people to stop looking away from the horror, especially the horror in Gaza, perpetrated by what he views as the ugly business of imperialism, supported by the U.S. military-industrial complex, political machinery, and media.
2) The book that seems like fun literary sci-fi and has titillating robot/human sex scenes but then turns out to be about autonomy, slavery, women's rights, and consciousness.
3) The well-researched non-fiction tour-de-force that is WAY too much fun to read because it's so batshit crazy, despite the horrific indictment of our special forces, our military in general, and the grim portrayal of the morally corrupt entanglements that are the costs of perpetual war and a perpetual war military-industrial complex.
5) The book to read if you live in Virginia and wonder if you could ever be sucked into a life of crime . . .
6) If you're looking for some heralded Sicilian literary fiction (with some history thrown in)
7) Fun and fantastic horror set in Florida in the 1970s with lots of teenage pregnancy . . .
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can't imagine you have NOT read this, because it's old(er) and you read everything, but in the event not - how about "The History of the World in 6 Glasses."
ReplyDeletenever read it, and it sounds wonderful. the sequel should be "the history of the world with six asses."
ReplyDeletetake your pick, but pol pot is probably in there . . .
Bitching about the refs is stupid. I’m stupid. No ref in the Commanders/Eagles game should be included in the 2026 postseason. Hideous.
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