Warzala
A good history book needs a combination of three elements: Archiving (creating a historical record of events), Analyzing (drawing connections, making predictions), and Storytelling (creating a narrative). This book is, in some regards, light on the first two, but very heavy on the third.
The stories recounted here are some of the most enthralling I've ever read, not just in history books, but nonfiction as a whole. I would wager that this is better than 99% of all novels. I would find myself laughing or weeping in public while reading this.
I can't wait to read this again. My only hope is that these stories can be told and shared even more.
Hey did you guys know that, um, sometimes people do drugs and see a snake? That's like, um, DNA, because you know, um, DNA is like, long and thin, you know? Like, the shape of a DNA is kinda snakey
I once had a coffee mug that said :
Those who can, DO
Those who can do more, TEACH
This book is basically that mug stretched out to over 300 pages of meaningless drivel. I saw one page that explained to the reader what a “procedure” is and then listed examples of procedures in real life, like, on an elevator, in airplanes, etc. If you take anything useful out of this book, you are a garbage educator and do not belong in the classroom.
Pleasantly meandering
Chang weaves his own experiences with conversations about food and then using those stories as metaphors for economic concepts. It is a pretty good introduction to economic history and generally pleasant to read.
The problem is that it's short and discusses about a dozen different topics, so lots of information is cut. If you get intrigued by the economics of strawberry farming in the US, well, sorry, we're talking about limited liability now. Don't even get me started on how a book discussing the business of food seems to neglect child labor in cocoa bean farming.
I read this in one sitting. Happy Halloween!
Merged review:
I read this in one sitting. Happy Halloween!
People say that they only shop “locally” but have you ever considered that every farm is local to someone??? Really makes you think
I like the idea of this book, but I felt like it was jumping around too much in time, location, and clandestine activity.
Merged review:
I like the idea of this book, but I felt like it was jumping around too much in time, location, and clandestine activity.
Throwing in the towel. It's not poorly written or offensive, but it is tedious. Poverty and alcoholism suck, yes. Yes, it is difficult being gay, especially a few decades ago. I didn't find this insightful or unique or educational in any way, and it's almost 500 pages long.
Not that this book is necessarily bad, but I do feel duped by it. I was looking forward to a somewhat comprehensive history about Koreans in Japan, and what I got instead was several summaries of novels written by Koreans.
The moment that I gave up on this book :
“They replaced the Great Wall of pounded earth constructed by the First Emperor with a far more awesome wall of brick and stone, the only man-made artifact visible from space today. That's the Great Wall tourists now visit.”
I wanted to talk about two of the many things that makes this a great book.
One, I think it's great at acknowledging and calling out the failures of Palestinian leadership throughout the decades. Even if you're staunchly pro-Palestine independence, it is important and useful to asses the diplomatic and political failures, so that we can improve upon them.
Two, the author is, like, the Forrest Gump of Palestine. He or his family members have been involved in almost every major event in Palestinian history since the early 20th century. Not only does this give a much-needed perspective on Palestine, but it also adds a lot of engaging details for the reader. Saying that Israel bombed Beirut is one thing; telling the story of how someone has to drive through a city in the middle of an invasion to pick up his daughters from school before they killed is quite another.