missed

• Rated 4 stars

“Bernard Lewis is one of the premier authorities on Islam, and so I was excited to get a copy of his newest book, "Islam: The Religion and the People." The book is an extremely short look at an extremely rich and diverse religion, more of an introduction, really. And as an introduction to the religion with a look at modern trends in Islam, look no further.

Readers will learn about the five pillars, hadith, sunnah, the various major sects and trends. You also get a brief look at everything from religious clothing to the modern trend of a minority of followers who are extremist.

It's a good starting place if you are not familiar with Islam, and a point to start if you'd like to read some of Lewis' other books. Just a tad bit too short, however.”

missed wrote this review Friday, December 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 2 stars

“I'm not entirely sure why this memoir was published. Adam Nimoy, former lawyer, director and ex-husband, is going through 12-step to get over his addiction to marijuana, with a secondary addiction to alcohol. He says his world is miserable, according to the title at least, but it seems far from it. Aside from the not-so-great relationship with his father, the more famous Leonard Nimoy, spoiled kids (typical), and a loveless marriage (again, typical), there really isn't much here to really care about, which is probably a horrible thing to say about someone's life.

It's obvious his memoir project came about because Nimoy decided to take a writing class. In fact, he speaks about the class several times throughout the book. And it's obvious, from reading it, that it is in serious need of an editor. Nimoy is neither a boring nor a talentless writer; he's just still too new at it. And new enough at it for me to say: this book should not have been published.

Trekkies with an interest in learning more about Leonard Nimoy will discover that his relationship with Adam is estranged, and that Adam views his father as cold and distant, prone to not understanding his only son at all. Adam's book is one attempt to reach out to his father, but, truth be told, we don't really care if he does or doesn't. ”

missed wrote this review Friday, December 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“The Wordy Shipmates is my first Sarah Vowell book. To be perfectly honest, I have never heard of her before. Therefore, I was in for a surprise. I assumed I was going to get a straight, scholarship-filled book about the Massachusetts Bay Puritans (as opposed to the more famous Plymouth ones). Instead, I found myself in the midst of an amusing armchair history with an interest in linking the past with the present.

Vowell takes us on an amusing, yet literate, journey through the first decade or so of the Colony's first years, focusing on politics, ego and struggle. John Winthrop, the first governor of the Colony, is the central historical figure of the book. His vision of a magnificent Puritan "city upon a hill" is the central metaphor of the book, and one which Ronald Reagan exploited while he was president of the United States. Winthrop's chief adversaries are Roger Williams, the banished theologian who founded the Rhode Island Colony, Anne Hutchinson, a housewife turned unauthorized Puritan minister (also banished), and the Pequot Indians (mostly destroyed).

While amusing and informative, The Wordy Shipmates fails when it attempts to link the present with the past. Vowell succeeds at first: her initial focus on religion and strict mores strikes a powerful chord between our post-September 11th world and Puritan fanaticism. But Vowell only makes the connection briefly and fails to link the two eras passed that, save the aforementioned Reagan. This weakness becomes quite obvious in the final pages of the book. Vowell suddenly calls upon the ghost of JFK, who also used the "city upon the hill" metaphor, and then suddenly ends the book. It is almost as if Vowell was tired of trying to link her beloved Pilgrims with the present and decided to hand in her manuscript and grab some chai.

This weakness, however, did not limit my enjoyment of the book. I found the story of the Colony and its characters fascinating, and Vowell successfully brought their world to life in our own.”

missed wrote this review Friday, December 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Irish Americans is a really fascinating look at, well, Irish Americans, who are much maligned in the United States. Like many readers, I always assumed that the Irish came en mass to the US due to the Great Famine. Dolan corrects that, going into some detail about earlier Irish immigration, particularly Ulster protestants (aka Scotch-Irish) who emigrated long before the Famine ever occurred.

Dolan then looks at the link between the immigrants, their Irish patriotism, and the intense link between the struggles for a free Ireland. There is a tremendous amount of focus on both this, and religion, particularly Catholicism (Dolan's specialty) and how both helped the Irish as they adjusted to life in the New World and the horrible prejudices they endured in Protestant America.

The book is extremely well-written and fascinating, filled with interesting historical people who really bring the book to life. If you're looking for a book that will give you a good history of the Irish in America, this is the book for you.”

missed wrote this review Friday, December 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I will preface this by saying that I am not a Daily Kos reader, although I am aware of its presence. I am, however, a progressive liberal, which will probably mark me as a target, but so be it.

The subtitle of "Taking on the System" is "Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era." While Moulitsas does provide some bullet points on what one should or shouldn't do in order to be a proactive citizen in the United States, he limits these "rules" to the start of each chapter, as a sort of here's-what-you-want-to-do brief guide. He then uses examples of situations, both political (e.g. campaigns) and cultural (e.g. Fiona Apple's "Exquisite Machine" album debacle), which demonstrate successfully, or unsuccessfully as the case sometimes is, the "rule" in question.

This is what actually made the book interesting for me. I was thoroughly interested in reading Moulitsas' take on recent political and cultural history. While liberally slanted, he does toss in a positive conservative example here and there, making the book a bit more balanced than I think some more liberal Kos fans might appreciate.

I do have to wonder where this book will be five, ten years from now. Will it just be some forgotten manifesto that has no bearing on the future, or will it simply be used by the occasional cultural scholar as they research how people thought about their era. My feeling is that "Taking on the System" will be used in the latter form. Regardless, I found the book interesting and entertaining in the current era.”

missed wrote this review Friday, December 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Firstly: whichever marketing "genius" decided to promote this book as a retelling of Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" should be publicly humiliated. After reading the first chapter of the book, the reader, especially if he or she has even the slightest knowledge of Chaucer's classic, will clearly see that, aside from the fact that this book takes place in the Middle Ages in England, and a group of strangers wind up traveling together (towards completely different locations) telling each other the occasional tale, "Company of Liars" has nothing to do with Chaucer and his stories. Trying to push this circle into an ancient square only does "Company of Liars" a disservice. It deserves to stand on its own two feet.

Having gotten that out of the way, I loved reading "Company of Liars." Karen Maitland does an excellent job of bringing us into the world of the Black Death and our heroes, nine strangers who band together in an attempt to outrun the plague. Each character, a Camelot (our narrator), a master musician and his pupil, a magician, a journeyman painter and his pregnant wife, a crippled storyteller, and an extremely odd runecasting child, are all wonderfully fleshed out and unique. Each has an extreme secret they hold close to their breast, and as the story progresses they are somehow inspired by circumstance (don't want to spoil too much) to reveal their secret, sometimes clandestinely, right before their mysterious deaths. And along they way they are hounded by a never-seen wolf who is tracking them, haunting them with cries in the night.

At first I wasn't sure if I would like the book. I had once taken a nightmare of a class in university where we read Chaucer in the original (hence my admonition at the start of this review against the unnamed marketer), nor do I have much interest in the period of time in which the story takes place. But I could not help but be enchanted by the wonderful writing and how Maitland subtly encourages reading with her glimpses of mystery that inspires the reader to wonder what secret a character is keeping.”

missed wrote this review Friday, December 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“My Custom Van is, if not one of the funniest, then THE funniest book I have ever read. Each of these fifty or so essays produced not a chuckle, not a polite laugh, but deep belly laughs, the kind that bring tears to your eyes.

I admit to being a complete and utter fan of Black's appearances on the VH1 "I Love the..." series of television specials. Black's humor is biting and well-timed, with zingers that will get you in the gut. Thankfully, he's an equally talented writer with a wonderful imagination. Who else but Michael Ian Black would: wonder what would happen if he colored his personal area with a magic marker? write letters to a squirrel, or to the first girl he ever intimately encountered while at sleepaway camp? Or even pen some of the most obnoxiously funny "erotica" ever to land on the page?

While I certainly got fifty kicks out of reading this book, I can definitely see how some readers might not be as amused. I think Black's humor might not be for everybody, but I'm not exactly sure what makes me think that. But if you're the kind who enjoys a quick romp through a tome written by a guy with a unique sense of humor and point of view, perhaps you should check this book out. You may actually find yourself with a yen for eating fudge in the back of Black's custom flokati and bamboo covered van.”

missed wrote this review Friday, December 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I rather enjoyed reading American Savior by Roland Merullo. I found it to be an extremely entertaining read, and while the literal doubting Thomas theme did irk me a bit as it threads through the entire novel, it didn’t detract from what is an extremely timely novel.

Jesus has returned to earth and, dismayed by how the United States has used Christ’s message and distorted his teachings. He has revealed himself five months before a general national election and tossed his hat into the circus that is the run for President. He chooses thirteen disciples, all from the Top Ten television city called West Zenith (get it… our civilization is just past its zenith). Russ Thomas, a jaded, cynical local news television journalist, his fiance and family (including the wonderful Stab, Russ’ brother living with Down Syndrome) the two families affected by the two miracles Jesus performed as a way of introducing himself to the world (Russ covered them on the news), and Russ’ boss and girlfriend are all hired to work for the campaign. They are amateurs, which is perfect for Jesus, who is going out of his way to not play the politics-as-usual game.

We follow the campaign across the country through the eyes of Russ, Jesus’ security chief and former television reporter, who has been chosen by Christ to pen a book based on the campaign and his observations of Jesus (aka a Gospel). As mentioned before, Russ is a doubting Thomas (literally: his last name is Thomas), which, while at times a bit annoying, presents Jesus in a clearer light than had he been a complete believer. He presents a likable Jesus, one who is more teacher and guide than a religious figure. This results in a novel that is not at all preachy, which one may assume it would be considering its topic.

At the same time, I have to wonder about the longevity of the title. Certainly, in a major election season, it is topical. But how will the book fair years from now? Will it be a novel of the times, or one that’s completely forgotten down the road. I hope the former, as this really is quite a good read.”

missed wrote this review Sunday, September 7 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Dungeons & Desktops is a very rich and detailed look at the history of computer role-playing games. Matt Barton takes us on an extensive journey, beginning with the genre’s roots in tabletop games, to its early years on mainframes and BBSs. We’re then given a tour of some of the most beloved CRPGs of all time, such as Richard Garriott’s Ultima series (a personal favorite) and The Bard’s Tale. Barton even explores Japanese console RPGs, as their explosive popularity with gamers in the 90s has had an acute effect on modern CRPGs. The book concludes with the future of CRPGs in the form of persistent massively multiplayers, such as World of Warcraft.

What makes D&D (hah!) a treasure is that Barton doesn’t just pay attention to the hits and genre influencers, but also the misses, such as Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (which Barton calls the worst CRPG ever) and games which never got their due, such as the great Planescape: Torment. The MMORPG section could have used some better fact checking (e.g. EverQuest’s realm is called Norrath, not Narrath, and Asheron’s Call 2 was shut down years ago), but otherwise the book is quite spot on.

Fans of gaming history will really appreciate this book and may rediscover some long-forgotten classics. I know I have. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go play some Universe.”

missed wrote this review Sunday, August 10 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Despite author Mort Zachter's frustrations at his own family, who are the subject of this book, Dough is a heartwarming tale of discovery and understanding.

Uncles Harry and Joe run a bakery in New York's Lower East Side. They don't actually bake -- they sell day-old bread. Open 7 days a week, including blizzards, Joe and Harry close the shop only for the high holy days. To most, including Zachter, they appear to be extremely poor, hardworking men struggling to make ends meet. Zachter's parents certainly are: they live in a one bedroom apartment where a young Mort is forced to sleep in the kitchen, his head cooled on hot summer days only by the fridge he uses as a headboard.

The truth about Harry and Joe is that their penny-pinching ways have resulted in them being multi-millionaires, a fact Zachter learns only after Uncle Harry (Joe being long dead) moves in with Zachter's parents, who care for him as Alzheimer's takes hold of the beloved joke-telling uncle. A chance phone call and a case of mistaken identity results in Zachter learning about Harry's account of $1 million from a broker. He quickly discovers that there is at least $5 million more.

Zachter takes us on his journey of discovery. We are taken back to the glory days of the bakery, where even his mother, Helen, works for break, cakes and cookies as payment. Zachter struggles with the truth of his uncles' wealth, resenting the fact that while his own family struggled to survive and he, as an adult, struggled financially to support his own family, his uncles never helped to relieve their family of their financial burdens.

Dough is wonderfully written, easy to read and quite absorbing. We never do learn how Harry and Joe really did make their millions, and on occasion the question does tug on the reader's mind. But that's the point: Zachter doesn't know either, and as many questions linger for him as they do for us.”

missed wrote this review Thursday, July 31 2008. ( reply | permalink )