satisfythemind

• Rated 5 stars

“Parenting is something I just don't get. Likewise, there are people in the world who exult parenting as a moral imperative. This book is not for them.

Frost runs down the laundry list of thing I have always found annoying about other people's kids: they dominate every conversation, they are constantly hungry for attention, they have no personal or moral boundaries.

Likewise, she runs down the list of everything I have always found annoying about parents: they think their child is the most wonderful, cutest, talented, amazing baby that has ever lived, they find poop stories to be pwecious, they insist upon sharing baby pictures and then insist that you react in a certain way to them.

My only complaint about this book is that it's far too short.

If you are looking for a ruthless, pull-no-punches, snark-ridden look at the culture of procreation, then this is the book for you.”

satisfythemind wrote this review Tuesday, September 16 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 5 stars

“We've all heard over and over about how the victors write history. Not so in the case of Howard Zinn, who writes not the history of the conquerors, but the conquered; not the oppressors, but the oppressed. This is real history, the history that the powerful don't want you to learn in school, or read about in the New York Times. If everyone learned and understood history the way that Zinn writes it, the world would be a very different place indeed.”

satisfythemind wrote this review Monday, April 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Professor Torres makes the resounding case that being a vegan is just part of a larger worldview that includes taking a stand against all forms of bigotry and exclusion. He also makes a damning case against the larger welfare organizations, like PETA or the Humane Society, and how their constant need for both cash and public approval trumps any real activism on their part.”

satisfythemind wrote this review Monday, April 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“I picked just the first volume, the Fellowship, as a favorite, even though the entire saga is one of my favorites. Tolkien essentially created the modern fantasy category of books, for which you can either love or loathe him, depending upon your point of view. Either way, this story changed the world of literature and became a part of western history. The book is far more overtly British than the Peter Jackson movies, but both are good on their own merits.”

satisfythemind wrote this review Monday, April 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Here Michael Shermer takes on the third rail, the elephant in the room, religion. Even though the book is called "how" we believe, it's also a lot of "why."”

satisfythemind wrote this review Monday, April 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Shermer tries to explain why people believe the weird things they do. But even more than that, he points out a number of things that I had no idea people actually believed. If you thought humanity was only a bit off, then read this book to see just how off we really are. It's great cultural history, philosophy and science all rolled into one often times very funny book. ”

satisfythemind wrote this review Monday, April 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“I bought this book at an airport book store to read on the plane. And then I spent the entire plane ride trying not to freak out the people sitting around me with my uncontrolled laughter. Even though I've read and re-read this book a number of times, the parts where he is in France, taking the French language course, still make me laugh out loud.”

satisfythemind wrote this review Tuesday, April 15 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“This is one of the first scientific books I'd ever read which helped solidify, in my mind, the logic of being a vegan. But don't worry all you omnivores, that wasn't the intention of the authors. They simply wanted to show how all animals (human and non-human) are scientifically related, and to make the case for a greater human empathy for nature and natural beings, and a greater understanding and appreciation of the beauty of evolution. And I think they succeeded quite nicely.”

satisfythemind wrote this review Monday, April 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“The two great motivators of religious and supernatural belief are fear and ignorance. And the best way to counteract both of those is knowledge. But don't just take my word for it - read this book.”

satisfythemind wrote this review Monday, April 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Astronomy for the rest of us. It's hard to believe this book was published in 1980. It seems like we knew a lot back then, and sometimes it feels like we know less now for some reason (even though I know that's not true). This is far more than just a companion to the TV series, although you really ought to watch that, too (just ignore all of the 70s-80s technology and fashion).”

satisfythemind wrote this review Monday, April 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )