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Miranda

Miranda

has 47 followers and is following 31 people

sentimental claptrap

Twitter: http://twitter.com/richhumofair
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  • NY, USA
  • member since December 25, 2007

Reviews

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  • A Short History of Women
    • Rated 2 stars

    I wanted to love this book (based on the title, cover, and awesome reviews from the press), but soon into the novel, I was disappointed. Overall, it fails to have any real story at all. The ties between the women were very weak and I was left feeling confused as it changed from woman to woman (at times, having the 'main' character the focus in about 5 sections and another in one, etc.) The characters were boring and lacked any personality. I found they were all the same no matter the individual circumstances- privileged, a lack of regard for others. Walbert's style of writing itself was extremely hard to follow- long sentences separated by tons of commas. The writing didn't flow well and made the story only more difficult to follow than it already was. Not recommended at all.

    Miranda wrote this review Thursday, June 24, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • Fun Home
    • Rated 5 stars

    One of the best graphic novels I've ever read. A very interesting, new take on memoir. The story jumps back and forth in time, which seems like a bad thing, but it's actually not because it works very well. Nothing is confusing about it and all pieces fit together well. I love all the literary references and inclusions because I understood them, but I can see why they may go over some peoples' heads. It's a smart novel, definitely, but it's not pretentious. A very well-told story. Highly recommended for anyone.

    Miranda wrote this review Friday, June 18, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • Brief History of the Czech Lands to 2004
    • Rated 2 stars

    Horrible editing job. I found many spelling and grammatical errors (even on the back cover!) This is a basic, easy to understand guide to Czech history. You shouldn't take this guide too seriously as a source, but maybe keep it around to look up general Czech history facts.

    Miranda wrote this review Saturday, May 22, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • Hugo Chavez: Oil, Politics, and The Challenge to the United States
    • Rated 1 stars

    Kozloff presents an American’s take on Venezuela as he documents his travels to the country and approaches his research with as an active spectator, observing everyday occurrences in the country as well as offering a scholar’s insight to things he notices. At times, he shifts back and forth from the occurrences he observes and facts he presents, which is rather confusing. He clearly has a passion for Venezuelan history and politics and while this is evident in his work, his book’s presentation is disorganized and exhibits an apparent bias.
    Kozloff displays his leftist bias early in the book as he says he agrees with Chavez’s statements regarding United States foreign policy and American imperialism. Since most of his book deals with Chavez’s relationship to the United States, readers should recognize this bias. However, Kozloff later states that he is suspicious of some of Chavez’s courses of action. In the chapter titled “Chavez and His Fight Against Neoliberalism,” Kozloff states that he was not sympathetic to the right-wing opposition, which further explains his bias. During the 2000 election in the United States, Kozloff plainly states that he planned to vote for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. Furthermore, in the epilogue, Kozloff criticizes George W. Bush and the Republican Party for not paying attention to America’s poorest inner cities, which the American people noticed with Hurricane Katrina. Since Kozloff displays a noticeable bias, readers should not take this book as a significant scholarly work.
    Kozloff approaches his research already as an admirer of Hugo Chavez, which leads one to question his methodology. He offers little critique of Chavez’s policies, which is also questionable. His trips to Venezuela are his key approach to his research. Since he is an American journalist, he attempts to provide a more in-depth method by traveling to Venezuela as well as completing the usual research process. The sources he uses are mostly Internet articles from popular news channels and newspapers rather than scholarly articles that are based on primary sources.
    While I learned much about Chavez and Venezuela in general, I believe that Kozloff is too pro-Chavez to discuss anything negative about him in depth. I believe the book strayed off-topic as the book is supposed to be primarily about the “challenge to the U.S.” as the title states, but Kozloff also discusses his relationship with other Latin American leaders. I thought he should have narrowed his book’s focus more, especially since it is such a modest sized account of one man. Kozloff lacked a focus as he jumped from Chavez to his research to the United States to other Latin American leaders to oil. I found this book extremely difficult to follow considering the organization. Kozloff cannot keep years in order, sometimes going back in time in the same page. He discusses other politicians and businessmen in length before finally discussing Chavez’s birth and childhood at the end of the first chapter. From what information Kozloff presents in this account, I can tell he is a respectable researcher, but as a writer and editor, it is an embarrassing contribution to the world of historical and political writing. His organization is not in chronological order and while chronological order is not always necessary, it helps in a book like this one where the reader wants to know how Venezuela changed or progressed with Hugo Chavez as its leader as well as how Chavez relates to American foreign policy over time.

    Miranda wrote this review Thursday, December 3, 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Founding Brothers
    • Rated 5 stars

    Joseph Ellis is a storyteller historian. He doesn't tell merely facts. He creates scenes that make you wonder what will happen next and makes you feel as if you are there. In this book, he takes six events in the revolutionary era and describes them, which is an interesting take on things instead of putting events in chronological order and reading like any other history book.

    Miranda wrote this review Tuesday, July 21, 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Along Comes a Stranger
    • Rated 1 stars

    This entire novel, even the quick ending, was a bore. The writing was very simplistic and the characters had relatively no personalities. I haven't been this bored with a novel in quite a while. Not recommended at all.

    Miranda wrote this review Thursday, January 10, 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • No One Belongs Here More Than You
    1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
    • Rated 1 stars

    I was excited to read this collection when I bought it, but after reading a few stories, I became bored and the theme was way too obvious. I felt as if Miranda July attempted to make these stories super clever and witty and for this to fail, I would not recommend this.

    Miranda wrote this review Wednesday, December 26, 2007. ( reply | permalink )