Tag: books
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Review: Olsson’s The Weil Conjectures
The Weil Conjectures: On Math and the Pursuit of the Unknown Karen Olsson An odd but enjoyable little book about math and the deeply odd and brilliant Weil siblings (Simone, the writer mystic and activist and Andre Weil the mathematician). Simone Weil was a troubled, brilliant, writer deeply affected by the suffering of others who…
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Review: Douglas’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass The first of Fredrick Douglass’s autobiographies and as of now, the only one I’ve read.* When this was published Douglass was still a relatively unknown escaped slave, just beginning to break through on the abolitionist speaking circuit. Two things are striking about this little book –…
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Review Tolentino’s Trick Mirror
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self Delusion Jia Tolentino When it feels like everyone in your world is reading the same book and that book is a collection of essays by a staff writer for the New Yorker it can be easy to buck the trend and say nope. Reader, I suggest you don’t do that…
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Review: Futterman’s To The Edge
Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed Matthew Futterman A history of modern American distance running told from the perspective of Bob Larsen, one of the most influential coaches in the sport and (most famously) the coach and mentor of the most decorated American marathoner…
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Crawford’s The World Beyond Your Head
The World Beyond Your Head:On Becoming An Individual In An Age of Distraction Matthew B. Crawford This book by Crawford of “Shop class is Soul Craft” fame is another in a long line of recent books on the power of attention and craft in a age of twitter and youtube. There’s an important point here…
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Review: Moore’s Gironimo
Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy Tim Moore This is the story of a guy who restores an early 1900s bike and then rides it all the way around Italy covering the course of what is widely considered the hardest bicycle race in history. What can I say, I have disparate tastes.…
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Review: Higginbotham’s Midnight in Chernobyl
Midnight in Chernobyl Adam Higginbotham The definitive account of what happened at Chernobyl and the book that was the source of much of what is in the HBO mini-series. A tick-tock of the most destruction nuclear meltdown in history. A story of massive corruption and incompetence in Soviet Russia. A chronicle of the destruction of…
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Review: Stephenson’s Fall, Or Dodge In Hell
Fall or Dodge in Hell Neal Stephenson I read every Neal Stephenson book as soon as they come out. Some are amazing, some are just ok, but never do I regret the experience. As is standard with a Neal Stephenson novel, this one is a joyous hodgepodge of adventure, science, and philosophy held together by…
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Review: Rinpoche’s In Love With The World
In Love With The World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying Yongey Minguy Rinpoche Mingyur Rinpoche is one of the most respected Tibetan Buddhist teachers in the world. He has taught at meditation retreats in every continent, runs a group of prominent monasteries, and is a member of a distinguished line…
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Review: Foucault in California
Foucault in California: A True Story Wherein the Great Philosopher Drops Acid in the Valley of Death Simeon Wade Whoa boy, this one was a trip. Famous French philosopher hooks up with a young academic and an experimental musician. They head to death valley and take acid. Serious 1970s content ensues. Foucault acid trip…
Milo and the Calf 