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While I usually give short shrift to books that meander, like a busker trying to fill up time, Boyle's book is both thought-provoking and dead-serious, and the meandering that occurs is either due to bad editing or due to the fact that he was composing on paper and transferring to computer. (Hint to Mark: I suggest you write, critique, and edit on paper. Save the computer phase to save the poor typesetter some work at the very end.)
However, I appreciated this book from a writre trying to find his voice on a topic of such obvious concern and importance to him. To take the plunge he did, in avoiding currency for at least a year, was courageous. And Boyle's attempts to minimize his impact on the earth are both more sincere and more philosophical than that of poseurs like Mark Frauenfelder, whose recent missives in self-reliance read more like a bad Chevy Chase movie.
True, Boyle depends a lot on better versed friends in recycling, foraging, and survival. But when his plans fail, he bears the brunt of possible disaster strongly, with the best humour he can bear, and with some reflection on how he might improve his lot. This is a far cry from the Californian savants who play with beehives while commuting to their high-tech jobs.
I would have given this book a 5 had it not been for some easily correctible editing flaws. How many times did we need to be told that ink could be made with mushrooms before seeing the recipe? When we see how his life without money depends on the leftovers of contemporary society, why do we have to wait until the latter part of the book before he notes that his lifestyle would not work if everyone chose to live that way?
That said, it seems to me that the philosophical omissions are the result of a rush to press, rather than a lack of intellectual rigor or experience. I expect that his publisher did not quite know how to deal with this text. As the author himself notes, the path to his ideal society will be incremental and no great leap forward will serve. And that is where the value in this book lies - in teaching us that there are many ways that we can escape the consumerist bandwagon - none of them sufficient, but all useful in both protecting our planet, and redeeming our souls.
As a sushi-lover, I can't help picking up any book about this food. This work by Sasha Issenberg easily surpasses other recent books. (The last I read was The Zen of Fish by Trevor Corson, and it is painfully evident how much a better writer Issenberg is than Corson.) Issenberg writes clearly about what has become an obsession for many, in the West as well as the East.
Although the main thread of the book is the international trade in tuna, Issenberg adds personal stories about players at each one of his stops around the globe. Sushi chefs, fish marketers, restaurant owners, and tuna farmers all tell their stories.
Although sometimes the chapters feel like extended essays only related by theme, Issenberg manages to portray the large picture of sushi's influence worldwide.
I would have liked to have seen more material on the "sushi pirates" - fishers and ranchers who play loose with the rules, putting fish stocks at risk. Especially interesting was the story of how a researcher was able to find evidence of deceit by tuna ranchers, using Google Maps! Issenberg's comments on globalization also are more specific to the unique trade around sushi than he seems to realize.
I enjoyed reading this book more than any other on sushi I have seen.
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(6 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
This novel could stand on its own as a comic masterpiece, but is also fascinating for being based on the author's own experience and the ensuing family scandal.
In 1950s Peru, a young law student, Mario, is working at a radio station, with dreams of becoming a great writer. He is forced to come to some concrete decisions about his future when two people burst into his life on the same day.
The first is Pedro Camancho, a prodigious scriptwriter of radio soap operas. Camancho, an eccentric workaholic, becomes a star with his lurid tales that transfix the city. And then, there is Aunt Julia, the sister-in-law of Mario's uncle. A divorcee from Bolivia 13 years older than Mario, the two are drawn together and begin a secret affair.
Mario's life becomes more complex as he becomes more serious about Julia, while dealing with the fallout at the radio station as Camancho's soap operas become more bizarre. Chapters detailing Mario's adventures are alternated with the stories of Camancho's characters.
Mario Vargas Llosa did in fact marry his aunt-in-law Julia in 1955, divorcing in 1964. I do not know how much of the novel is literal fact, and how much might be invented. (For example, the scene of Mario's father sending a note promising to shoot him down in the street after having learned of his son's relationship). The paired soap opera narratives are a marvellous read, though.
This is the first of Vargas Llosa's books I've read, and I heartily recommend it.
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(9 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)
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84jettagli has commented on (3) products.
The Moneyless Man by Mark Boyle
84jettagli, March 13, 2011
While I usually give short shrift to books that meander, like a busker trying to fill up time, Boyle's book is both thought-provoking and dead-serious, and the meandering that occurs is either due to bad editing or due to the fact that he was composing on paper and transferring to computer. (Hint to Mark: I suggest you write, critique, and edit on paper. Save the computer phase to save the poor typesetter some work at the very end.)However, I appreciated this book from a writre trying to find his voice on a topic of such obvious concern and importance to him. To take the plunge he did, in avoiding currency for at least a year, was courageous. And Boyle's attempts to minimize his impact on the earth are both more sincere and more philosophical than that of poseurs like Mark Frauenfelder, whose recent missives in self-reliance read more like a bad Chevy Chase movie.
True, Boyle depends a lot on better versed friends in recycling, foraging, and survival. But when his plans fail, he bears the brunt of possible disaster strongly, with the best humour he can bear, and with some reflection on how he might improve his lot. This is a far cry from the Californian savants who play with beehives while commuting to their high-tech jobs.
I would have given this book a 5 had it not been for some easily correctible editing flaws. How many times did we need to be told that ink could be made with mushrooms before seeing the recipe? When we see how his life without money depends on the leftovers of contemporary society, why do we have to wait until the latter part of the book before he notes that his lifestyle would not work if everyone chose to live that way?
That said, it seems to me that the philosophical omissions are the result of a rush to press, rather than a lack of intellectual rigor or experience. I expect that his publisher did not quite know how to deal with this text. As the author himself notes, the path to his ideal society will be incremental and no great leap forward will serve. And that is where the value in this book lies - in teaching us that there are many ways that we can escape the consumerist bandwagon - none of them sufficient, but all useful in both protecting our planet, and redeeming our souls.
The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy by Sasha Issenberg
84jettagli, January 8, 2008
As a sushi-lover, I can't help picking up any book about this food. This work by Sasha Issenberg easily surpasses other recent books. (The last I read was The Zen of Fish by Trevor Corson, and it is painfully evident how much a better writer Issenberg is than Corson.) Issenberg writes clearly about what has become an obsession for many, in the West as well as the East.Although the main thread of the book is the international trade in tuna, Issenberg adds personal stories about players at each one of his stops around the globe. Sushi chefs, fish marketers, restaurant owners, and tuna farmers all tell their stories.
Although sometimes the chapters feel like extended essays only related by theme, Issenberg manages to portray the large picture of sushi's influence worldwide.
I would have liked to have seen more material on the "sushi pirates" - fishers and ranchers who play loose with the rules, putting fish stocks at risk. Especially interesting was the story of how a researcher was able to find evidence of deceit by tuna ranchers, using Google Maps! Issenberg's comments on globalization also are more specific to the unique trade around sushi than he seems to realize.
I enjoyed reading this book more than any other on sushi I have seen.
(6 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa
84jettagli, January 7, 2008
This novel could stand on its own as a comic masterpiece, but is also fascinating for being based on the author's own experience and the ensuing family scandal.In 1950s Peru, a young law student, Mario, is working at a radio station, with dreams of becoming a great writer. He is forced to come to some concrete decisions about his future when two people burst into his life on the same day.
The first is Pedro Camancho, a prodigious scriptwriter of radio soap operas. Camancho, an eccentric workaholic, becomes a star with his lurid tales that transfix the city. And then, there is Aunt Julia, the sister-in-law of Mario's uncle. A divorcee from Bolivia 13 years older than Mario, the two are drawn together and begin a secret affair.
Mario's life becomes more complex as he becomes more serious about Julia, while dealing with the fallout at the radio station as Camancho's soap operas become more bizarre. Chapters detailing Mario's adventures are alternated with the stories of Camancho's characters.
Mario Vargas Llosa did in fact marry his aunt-in-law Julia in 1955, divorcing in 1964. I do not know how much of the novel is literal fact, and how much might be invented. (For example, the scene of Mario's father sending a note promising to shoot him down in the street after having learned of his son's relationship). The paired soap opera narratives are a marvellous read, though.
This is the first of Vargas Llosa's books I've read, and I heartily recommend it.
(9 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)