So, yesterday was the official kick-off of the Keep Portland Weird festival here in Paris, which meant that I had a reading/screening in the...
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What seems to be a narrative of a series of doomed prophetic movements in the middle ages turns out to be a profound study of the self-destructive impulse in human society at large. Strange and fascinating, this book offers a new theory about the apocalyptic strain in human consciousness. This book changed the way I think about mass movements both religious and secular, from christian heresies to communist revolutionary movements. Highly recommended even for those who don't read many history books.
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(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
A fascinating study not just of King Phillip's War but war in general. Through a process of careful research and explication, Lepore shines a light on the effects of war on civilian populations, on property, and on civilization. She also studies the often arbitrary distinctions that are made between aggressors and victims, civilized people and savages, the victors and the defeated. She discusses the loss of innocence and illusion that comes from war, the transformation of landscapes, and in a crucial final chapter, the way that memories of war are transformed over centuries of cultural transmission. Fascinating and highly recommended.
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(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
They used to show this movie to us every year in elementary school, and we all loved it. Recently, I watched parts of it again, and I still love it. The songs are terrific, the cast is top-notch, and the message is something that every child needs to hear: You are O.K. You can be anything you want to be. The feelings you have are natural. It's alright to be different. Looking back, I can see that I really internalized the message of this movie, and it has stayed with me my entire life.
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(3 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
I was sad to finish this book and didn't really know what to do with myself when I was no longer reading it. It's the story of a loser who finds the source of his strength in another world that he discovers at the bottom of a well. Funny, gripping, dramatic, and deeply spiritual, it's a meditation on identity, the violent legacy of history, and the power of love and self-awareness to transcend that legacy. Written in Murakami's usual sparse prose style, it ends up being deeply unsettling and profoundly moving. The best of his books that I've read so far, and it made me want to read more.
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(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
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manwith7talents has commented on (29) products.
Phenomenology of Spirit by Georg W. F. Hegel
manwith7talents, January 3, 2011
The greatest, and most difficult book ever written.Pursuit of the Millenium by Norman Cohn
manwith7talents, August 18, 2010
What seems to be a narrative of a series of doomed prophetic movements in the middle ages turns out to be a profound study of the self-destructive impulse in human society at large. Strange and fascinating, this book offers a new theory about the apocalyptic strain in human consciousness. This book changed the way I think about mass movements both religious and secular, from christian heresies to communist revolutionary movements. Highly recommended even for those who don't read many history books.(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity by Jill Lepore
manwith7talents, April 8, 2010
A fascinating study not just of King Phillip's War but war in general. Through a process of careful research and explication, Lepore shines a light on the effects of war on civilian populations, on property, and on civilization. She also studies the often arbitrary distinctions that are made between aggressors and victims, civilized people and savages, the victors and the defeated. She discusses the loss of innocence and illusion that comes from war, the transformation of landscapes, and in a crucial final chapter, the way that memories of war are transformed over centuries of cultural transmission. Fascinating and highly recommended.(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
Free to Be... You and Me
manwith7talents, January 18, 2010
They used to show this movie to us every year in elementary school, and we all loved it. Recently, I watched parts of it again, and I still love it. The songs are terrific, the cast is top-notch, and the message is something that every child needs to hear: You are O.K. You can be anything you want to be. The feelings you have are natural. It's alright to be different. Looking back, I can see that I really internalized the message of this movie, and it has stayed with me my entire life.(3 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
manwith7talents, January 15, 2010
I was sad to finish this book and didn't really know what to do with myself when I was no longer reading it. It's the story of a loser who finds the source of his strength in another world that he discovers at the bottom of a well. Funny, gripping, dramatic, and deeply spiritual, it's a meditation on identity, the violent legacy of history, and the power of love and self-awareness to transcend that legacy. Written in Murakami's usual sparse prose style, it ends up being deeply unsettling and profoundly moving. The best of his books that I've read so far, and it made me want to read more.(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
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