Janet
A thorough and wide-ranging biography of an amazing scientist - one I had never heard of. A man who already, in the early 19th century, saw the devastation that humans can have on ecosystems. In fact he was the first to describe and understand what an ecosystem is. Also politically prescient noting at the time the evils of slavery and the appalling treatment of indigenous peoples by colonial powers.
I read this because Annabel had to read it for school and she didn't actually complain about it. I was as interested in her comments as the story. I enjoyed Part 1 and Part 3 but found the Pacific section interminable - was that the author's intention to reflect the situation?
I can understand why Annabel was flummoxed by the assignment to PROVE with contextual evidence which version of the story was true - she got a massive zero points out of 50 for her comments. Her English teacher must use a different definition of proof than scientists - one more akin to opinion.
My interpretation is that the human story is true but that Pi is so traumatized by events that he makes up the animal narrative in order to cope with it - like the last episode of MASH where Hawkeye relates the story of the woman who kills a chicken to avoid capture by the enemy but she really killed her own baby.
This is a brilliant book. A “crash course” or overview of World History, written for young people. The writing is wonderful and I particularly like how at the end the author writes about history that he lived through and then writes about how his viewpoints have changed with time. Illuminating and illustrates how history is not just facts - but an investigation and discussion as to what those facts are.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in history and I would urge all high-school students to read it before commencing their World History class.
Definitely a book I would read again.
Found this book fascinating - I love history but find the typical history book quite dry but not this one. I learnt a lot about the founding of America - not the cut and dried simple story that is learnt in elementary school. It probably helped that I had read the John Adams biography by David McCullough first mind, as that filled me in with an awful lot of facts that I was ignorant of.
This book started slow and I skimmed quite a bit of it at first but I really liked the last three chapters, particularly the chapter on English literature and the one on history. Just confirms my beliefs that most textbooks are crap and only likely to get worse. The book is over 10 years old now so some of the current issues are different but many are still the same, or just come in different guises.
Does this sound familiar to any student, teacher or parent? “Today's literature textbooks are a pot pourri of fiction, nonfiction, social commentary, graphics, special features, and pedagogical aids. Even when the selections are good, the texts are almost painful to read because of their visual clutter and sensory overload”. It certainly describes the new reading book and the science book adopted by Seminole County Public Schools for their elementary schools.
A few other great quotes:
“Great literature is not ‘relevant' because it echoes the students' race, gender, or social circumstances, but because it speaks directly to the reader across time and across cultures”.
“The soul of historical research is debate, but that sense of uncertainty and contingency seldom find its way into text books”.
and finally “Intelligence and reason cannot be achieved merely by skill building and immersion in new technologies; elites have always known this and have always insisted on more for their children”. Are you listening our political masters? You are insisting that public school systems teach one way whilst ensuring that your own children are taught a better way. No, silly me, of course you are not listening.
