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What Are You Reading Right Now?

Maybe someone can help me out. I read a book a while back written by a psycologist who was a holocoust survivor. He writes about the experiance as prisoner from that perspective. Sound familar to anyone?
 
Frank Talk said:
Maybe someone can help me out. I read a book a while back written by a psycologist who was a holocoust survivor. He writes about the experiance as prisoner from that perspective. Sound familar to anyone?
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Eli Wiesel "Night"? I don't believe he is a psychologist however.
 
The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie.
 
the Bush Tragedy by Jacob Weisberg.

Eye opening read if you want to know just why Bush's administration went down in flames.
 
I just started reading Valerie Plame Wilson's book, Fair Game.

Regards,
DAR
 
Cleopatra: Last Queen Of Egypt
Joyce Tyldesley / Basic Books / 2008 / 290 pp.

This is the third biography of an ancient Egyptian Queen by Tyldesley. As with the first two (Hatshepsut - Nefertiti) this endeavor is also a biographical masterpiece. Tyldesley strips away the false siren image of Cleopatra fostered over the millennia and instead delivers the true substance of this remarkable woman. Another historical classic from this author.
 
Beyond Good and Evil by Nietzsche. I'm enjoying it thus far. Also just read The Communist Manifesto and I must say the structure of the writing is terrible. For shame.
 
Just began reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand last week. So far it's a great read, although it's definitely a slow-starter.
 
ADK_Forever said:
I'd be interested to hear what you think of this when you're done... or before.

G'day
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Thanks for the link. I haven't gone over the link much, and I'm about 100 or so pages into the book (Joe just returned from his trip to Niger and got debriefed at their house over Chinese take-out).

Prior to publication, the CIA's publication review board went over VPW's manuscript (CIA security rules) and returned it with enormous chunks--sometimes just words, other times sentences, paragraphs and entire pages--blacked out. The PRB gave her the option of editing and/or fictionalizing the blacked out portions and resubmitting the manuscript. She went to publication with her original manuscript, blacked out. Having chunks of text covered in black makes it a very non-cohesive read.

While parts of the book are wonderfully interesting (her training at "The Farm", her juggling a spy job with two newborns and recovery from postpartum depression), the missing chunks make the book difficult to read.

Regards,
DAR
 
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msp said:
Just began reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand last week. So far it's a great read, although it's definitely a slow-starter.
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There's one that I've been through a few times; let me know what you think of it when you're done. Enjoy.

Regards,
DAR
 
msp said:
Just began reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand last week. So far it's a great read, although it's definitely a slow-starter.
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My favorite book of all time, definitely a "if I had only 1 book on a deserted island" kinda choices. However I've only ever "read" it once, have listened to it via audiobook at least a dozen times.

The 3 major speeches (Money, Trial, & Galt Speaking) contain the most moving truths (pertaining to ethics, economics, politics) ever written IMO.

As for being a "slow-starter," if you read the Fountainhead first, you'd think Atlas Shrugged was a thriller by comparison. THAT BOOK was SLOW, but it introduces you to the logical conclusions of her philosophy at a pace that people can agree with more easily than how Atlas Shrugged kinda beats it into your head, over and over, from the beginning.
 
Lachean said:
My favorite book of all time, definitely a "if I had only 1 book on a deserted island" kinda choices. However I've only ever "read" it once, have listened to it via audiobook at least a dozen times.

The 3 major speeches (Money, Trial, & Galt Speaking) contain the most moving truths (pertaining to ethics, economics, politics) ever written IMO.

As for being a "slow-starter," if you read the Fountainhead first, you'd think Atlas Shrugged was a thriller by comparison. THAT BOOK was SLOW, but it introduces you to the logical conclusions of her philosophy at a pace that people can agree with more easily than how Atlas Shrugged kinda beats it into your head, over and over, from the beginning.
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Which is the one with the Toohey guy?
 
Felicity said:
Which is the one with the Toohey guy?
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Ellsworth Toohey was in the Fountainhead, that one I only read once, although I have a first edition.

Honestly its my least favorite of her work, in fact I don't think I'll ever read it again, with exception being Roark's trial testimony.
 
Lachean said:
Ellsworth Toohey was in the Fountainhead, that one I only read once, although I have a first edition.

Honestly its my least favorite of her work, in fact I don't think I'll ever read it again, with exception being Roark's trial testimony.
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It was very soap opera-esqe. I enjoyed it, but I didn't see what all the fuss was. Likewise, Anthem was interesting, but a tad overblown and preachy. Trying too hard to be profound IMO.
 
Felicity said:
It was very soap opera-esqe. I enjoyed it, but I didn't see what all the fuss was. Likewise, Anthem was interesting, but a tad overblown and preachy. Trying too hard to be profound IMO.
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Some truths are worth being "preachy" about, surely you do not disagree?

I wouldn't regard the philosophy as overblown but all encompassing regarding we the living (economics, politics, ethics, etc...) Was there anything that you disagreed with?
 
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DAR said:
Thanks for the link. I haven't gone over the link much, and I'm about 100 or so pages into the book (Joe just returned from his trip to Niger and got debriefed at their house over Chinese take-out).

Prior to publication, the CIA's publication review board went over VPW's manuscript (CIA security rules) and returned it with enormous chunks--sometimes just words, other times sentences, paragraphs and entire pages--blacked out. The PRB gave her the option of editing and/or fictionalizing the blacked out portions and resubmitting the manuscript. She went to publication with her original manuscript, blacked out. Having chunks of text covered in black makes it a very non-cohesive read.

While parts of the book are wonderfully interesting (her training at "The Farm", her juggling a spy job with two newborns and recovery from postpartum depression), the missing chunks make the book difficult to read.

Regards,
DAR
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I've already read it and found that time line very helpful. Towards the end of the book one of her friend's talks about Plame's story using info that the CIA redacted in the front.

Enjoy!
 
Lachean said:
Some truths are worth being "preachy" about, surely you do not disagree?

I wouldn't regard the philosophy as overblown but all encompassing regarding we the living (economics, politics, ethics, etc...) Was there anything that you disagreed with?
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The ending of Anthem was just over the top. c'mon--you've got to agree with that. The symbolism is to replace the "Word" (being the Logos--the Word of God--AKA Jesus) with the new sacred word "Ego" and thus establishing the "new religion" of "self-worship."
 
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