27
Apr
2009
Thou Art That by Joseph Campbell
I really try to use the tag, “must read” sparingly. Of the over forty reviews I have written as of this one, I have only used the tag three times. I used it on White Teeth, because it is probably my favorite favorite favorite book; it on Three Cups of Tea, because it offers a different perspective on the war on terror, particularly in Afghanistan/Pakistan, and thus is relevant to our political climate; and I used in The Ancestor’s Tale, because of it is a comprehensive, easy to read guide to evolution. I now use it again, for Joseph Campbell’s posthumously published Thou Art That.
13
Apr
2009
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
I’ve met famous writers before. I chatted with Robert Pinsky about the University of Michigan. I asked ZZ Packer why she uses her initials. I talked to Amy Tan about photography. I questioned Sandra Cisneros about how she feels about sometimes being labeled a Mexican writer in certain anthologies. So in retrospect, it is surprising that when I met Zadie Smith, I could only stammer, “Oh wow! I think you’re really great! You’re my favorite!” I say in retrospect because at the time I was obviously just too floored to think straight. And while I love love love her other two books, The Autograph Man and On Beauty, to me her debut novel, White Teeth, is what it is all about.
13
Apr
2009
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Immediately after finishing this book, I wanted to sit down and write a check out to the Central Asian Institute (Greg Mortenson’s foundation) but I didn’t and then my hours got cut back at work and so I never did write that check. But I did go around talking about it to everyone who would listen for the next three months. And now I’m telling you.
12
Apr
2009
The Ancestor’s Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life by Richard Dawkins
OMG! You have to read this book! That statement might make anyone holding a chair at Oxford University shudder, but it’s true. There are some books out there that everyone should read, and my God, this is one of them.
