Timbo
The man is very impressed with himself. Normally, hubris and immodesty are a huge turn-off to me. In the case of this man, who has legitimately written and published hundreds of books, the vanity is justified.
One of the most fascinating things about Asimov's tale is how he accomplished his ridiculous feat of prolific writing: He spent almost all his time writing. He detested travel and a good many activities that most consider pleasurable. He attended conventions, and later in life joined in a few “good old boy” type social clubs, but for the most part, he read and he wrote for the majority of most days, from his teenage years to his deathbed. Astounding stuff.
According to this book the most important indicator of success is how a child is treated as an infant. A scary thought. Much of character - which the author cites evidence as the most important factor that will get someone to a college graduation- is developed in infancy, by parents who treat their children with love and care.
For students who do not develop character through the proper nurture, it can be taught and learned. This is the main message of the book - our thoughts on education reform should focus on how we can provide children with the character to persevere through failure and to exhibit the hard work necessary for success.
I learned some excellent information about how school works in Poland, Finland, and South Korea. The author writes with a clear bias - she hates sports and finds them a detraction on the American school system, and she crucifies people who don't fit her viewpoint as chimeric. That being said, it seems she does hit some important bullet points that need to go into effect for schools to improve:
a. better training for teachers (much better)
b. a societal commitment to the importance of education
c. reasonable and effective standardized testing
These bullets may seem obvious, but if you look around at American education, we are not close to achieving any of these.
I was intrigued at Rama at the beginning of the book. As the book went on, my interest waned considerably. Characters have no development or arcs, there is some blatant sexism in the writing that is a big turn-off, and the world of Rama is just not that fascinating. The science is well-explained and thought out, but I had not interest in the people or events it was affecting. I was bored, and rushed through the end just to finish it.
5 excellent essays that really made me think about the madness of the boring curriculum we are often expected to serve up to children. Education is often a “one size fits all” model that peddles information to students without first taking time to consider who the students are and what they may have to offer. Kohl also offers some great ideas about “maladjusting” as a teacher to a ridiculous system: keeping your job while serving students in ways that would traditionally be looked down upon.
What drives human beings to commit the acts they do? What is the basis for the striking and irrational outbursts of the downtrodden?
“Hunger” explores the randomness of human behavior and speculates what effect despair can have on this behavior.
Our hero is a downtrodden writer who is intelligent but irrational. He is often homeless and starving. This unnamed (except when he gives fake names to the police) protagonist is unwilling or unable to use the scraps of money he earns to better his station in life.
The novel is spent inside the protagonist's mind, bouncing from lucid moment to raving moment. The reader is shown the rational and irrational reactions this man has to his environment and his situation.
I'm not sure if the thoughts and actions of this man of “Hunger” are relevant or accurate in regards to the homeless of today, but they did cause me to reflect on the results that despair and homelessness may affect. The writing is intense and I couldn't help become captivated by what thoughts and actions the protagonist would cook up. I wanted him to succeed, but the tone of the novel made it clear from page one that mere survival was the best to hope for.