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Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
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Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
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Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
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Customer Comments
LTHMPLS has commented on (2) products
Eating Animals
by
Jonathan Safran Foer
LTHMPLS
, September 05, 2011
I typically rate books and do not write reviews. Why should I throw my two cents in about a topic when everyone else has probably said the same thing--and more eloquently? Do I need to repeat what has already been written just so I can see my name somewhere? It feels narcissistic. Or perhaps that is just a good excuse for not being able to add anything new? This one is hard to leave without a review or reflection though. I am not even sure what a rating matters in this instance. I could give it a 3 or a 4 because I thought it was powerful, but felt too emotionally wrenched by it or manipulated by the rhetoric. I could give it a one for forcing me to reconsider my purchasing and eating habits and for making me feel like I have a horrible conscience. A five would signal the transformative power contained herein. Any of these feels arbitrary, so I give it a four based on all of these reasons. I did not enjoy this book. I found it funny in a few places. I was perplexed by some of his comments (his belittling dismissal of normal consumers who would take the slaughter of an animal's life into their own hands in order to know from where their food came). He is clever and he pushes cultural norms and logical buttons (dogs as a source of food). And yes, he is absolutely rhetorically dastardly. Why shouldn't he be? The industry of factory farming does not play fair and acts with such stomach-churning cruelty that his rhetorical deviousness is the best approach. Going about our normal lives and presuming that we live in a harmless society or pretending that our consumption is not harmful to the animals, our environment, and ultimately to us (see his connection to pandemics) is as unsustainable as these "farms." Foer himself is a vegetarian and his ultimate goal is vague. He says that the book is not simply a case for vegetarianism--though this seems ideal because it reduces animal suffering the most. He presents some of the family farmers and ranchers who truly care about animals, try to give them happy lives, and the least-cruel death possible. These real farmers do exist and can thrive (and multiply) if our consumption changes. In some ways, this approach--fully funded and supported through our ethical choices--is more of a blow to the factory farm behemoth (and more realistic) than assuming there will be a mass conversion to vegetarianism. It is also supported by vegetarian ranchers and vegan slaughterhouse builders. I have known many of these facts and yet have turned away and gone back to my old ways of thoughtless consumption in the past. This feels different. I do not see how my desire for animal flesh can justify the cruelty and suffering that Foer presents in these pages (and is available through many other sources). Rate it whatever you want, but read it and wrestle with it.
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Opposite of Cold The Northwoods Finnish Sauna Tradition
by
Michael Nordskog
LTHMPLS
, September 05, 2011
The Opposite of Cold is an absolute joy. It is, as the subtitle reads, a book about the Northwoods Finnish tradition. It could serve as a coffee-table book--and you would do yourself and any guests a service showcasing it as such--but this should not imply that the book is to be simply glossed over. The photography here is glorious. There are amazing perspectives of gifted architectural designs, images of strong and independent people, and some breathtaking natural views taken from the majestic shores of Lake Superior to an idyllic rural setting in Finland at the summer solstice. Hautala's discerning eye will astonish and and transport the viewer with each new browsing. The heart of the book though--and what keeps this from simply being an awe-inspiring picture book-- is Michael Nordskog's luminous writing. The Opposite of Cold is thoroughly researched and comprehensive. It covers elements of Finnish immigration, folk-customs, literature, geography, many fascinating portrayals of Finns, Finnish-Americans, and others who have embraced the Sauana tradition. The book explains various types of saunas, how sauna culture developed, how it spread (and is currently becoming more popular), and the multiple purposes of sauna (bathing, relaxing, connecting with loved ones, clearing one's head and purification to a near spiritual extent). The author breathes life into this book through the careful and reverential manner in which he presents the people who fiercely protect their sauna tradition. The histories included range from humble Finnish immigrants (of the Northern regions of Minnesota Wisconsin, and Michigan) to more famous adherents such as the composer Jean Sibelius. All of these individuals are connected by their Finnish roots or their devotion to this Finnish tradition. Growing up in Minnesota of Swedish ancestry (even my mom was 100% Swede), my previous view of Finnish culture was dim. There were not many negative specifics submitted regarding the drawbacks of being Finnish; They simply (and lamentably) were not Swedish. There were even angry rumblings within the family when there were rumored Finnish branches in our family tree. The stories told within these pages about the creative and independent nature of the Finnish people and Finnish Americans has me lamenting that the rumored Finnish blood in my family was truly a rumor. This should be a must read for anyone interested in Minnesota history, Finnish and Finnish-American history and culture and, of course, anyone trying to grasp the reasoning behind the devotion to The Opposite of Cold, sauna.
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