Books to read, books being read, books in general

[saline]

I just finished Fast Food Nation and I have to recommend it to every person whose ever eaten period. The story Schlosser weaves about the history and practices of the fast food industry is at times as beautiful as it's subject can be disgusting (that is, very). It hasen't been a NYTimes bestseller for more than a year for no reason people, don't miss it.

It's been a book-intensive time for me especially with the recent addition of school reading.

I've recently finished, begun, purchased, pre-ordered or am considering the following:

Finished:
Nickel and Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy - Greg Pallast
Lies - Al Franken
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Get Your War On - David Rees (collection of comics available free online)
Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlosser

Begun:
The Republic - Plato (school reading but excellent)
Weapons of Mass Deception - Sheldon Rampton & John Stauber

Purchased:
The Conscience of a liberal - The late Senator Wellstone
Why Do People Hate America? - Ziauddin Sardar & Merryl Wyn Davies
Fortunate Son - JH Hatfield (purchase pending on half.com but the seller may cancell the sale again, the bastard)
Astonish Yourself, 101 Experiments in the Philosophy of Everyday Life - Roger-Pol Droit

Pre-Ordered:
Bushwhacked - Molly Ivins (Author of the wonderful book Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush.)

Considering:
Choke - Chuck Palahniuk
Whatever you all recommend to me.

Things I've learned:
1) I like making lists.
2) I'm not very good with my money. I don't feel as bad about this because the wonderful people at my local bookstore are learning my name.
...
3) Oh, and our country is in the crapper, but can be fixed.

Talking points:
What are you reading? Why should I read it? What are you looking forward too? How did you like any of the books listed above? Also whats the furthest you've gone for a book and for the bibliophiles out there whats the jewel in your collection (my pride is my math textbook with stamp from the NYC board of education dated 1884).

Yay books.

Edited for grammer, spelling etc, I'm a reader not a writer.

[denile01]

1. "Under the Banner of Heaven"

by Jon Krakauer. Non-fiction; recommended! Another good example of the evils of religious fundamentalism. The central story is about the murder of a mother and her child by a couple of Mormon fundamentalists, but most of the book is an interesting, and documented, overview of the history of the Mormon church and it's leadership.

The account of the Mountain Meadow Massacre is a real eye-opener.

[Room101]

2. The books I have read in the last couple of months

Just finished Al Franken's "Lies and the lying liars who tell them"
Good read that evokes laughs and anger in tandem.

I would highly recommend Brave New World Revisited it is a sociological political analysis and prediction written in the 50's that will blow your mind because Aldous Huxley hits it on the frightful nose. It is a quick read 100 pages in small print. BNW is the fictional fable and BNW revisited is non- fiction.

Gore Vidal’s “perpetual war for perpetual peace why we are hated”
The centerpiece of which is a commentary on the events of September 11 and Timothy McVeigh's bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, Vidal challenges the comforting consensus that these were simply the acts of "evil-doers." Vidal writes in his preface, "We consumers don't need to be told the why of anything.


Chris Hedges “ War is a force that gives us meaning”
Analyses and critique of what happens to people and societies as they go to war. Based on first hand experience of the author. He covers the myth of war, how it’s sold and the jingoism that is the muscle behind it..

Gore Vidal’s “Dreaming war”
Vidal envokes orwellian terms in this witty noval calling the middle East Eurasia's mineral wealth. "Vidal conjures up a vision of America in a vengeful mood, where the media is assigned its familiar task of inciting public opinion, where the citizenry are reduced to spear-carrying and the Cheney-Bush junta is the latest, most lethal--and unconstitutional--advocate of Corporate America's Enemy-of-the-Month club." Whose interests are served by this doctrine of pre-emptive attack?


I’m starting ”Culture of fear” by: Barry Glassner
I choose this for obvious reasons, also it is the book that inspired Michael Moore to make bowling for columbine.

[leftyandproud]

3. suggestion..

mix it up a little...Every book you are buying is simply preaching to the choir...You won't find any contradictory viewpoints/information in any of those books. If you want to be a truly informed individual, buy partisan books on both sides...absorb everything, and you will always end up with a clearer picture of things...I force myself to do this and am always glad I did. I highly recommend you pick up some stuff by Thomas Sowell...He seems to be one of the more reasonable r/wingers.

"Vision of the Annointed" is an incredible book. Every lefty should read it, and form their own independent rebuttal of its critiques.

[saline]

4. thought about it...

I've often considered that but frankly I wanted to buy them used and haven't put forth the effort yet to find them. I need to read more outright history I think. As we know nothing confounds conservatives more than the truth.

[disgruntella]

5. two books on my list

I must admit I *threw* them aside when Franken's book came out.

The Iraq War Reader - Micah L. Sifry and Christopher Cerf
The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism - Karen Armstrong

[Cocoa]

6. now reading...

Babel Tower by A.S. Byatt. My fourth attempt at it, I have no I idea why it didn't hook me before, but this time it really did.

[Az]

7. Books

Reading Fast Food Nation right now. Just finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Fascinating book that examines the battle for the American mind being fought over by the B team of surviving myths and legends against the up and comers. Also finished reading Lies and the lying liars that tell them. Very good book. More humor than in depth but plenty of both to go around.

[Breezy du Nord]

8. "To Afghanistan and Back"

by ted rall. Very good book by an excellent author and cartoonist.

Also, am going to read Franken's book.

[saline]

11. didn't know rall wrote

I love his cartoons but I didn't know he had written a full book. I'll have to check that out too. You're going to love Franken's book, I can hardly say enough about it.

[smallprint]

9. if you liked fast food nation

i strongly STRONGLY recommend "lockdown america" by christian parenti, which does to the prison industry and criminal justice system what ffn did to the fast food industry

there is an amazing interview with christian parenti here:

http://www.derrickjensen.org/parent.html

happy reading!

[saline]

10. similarly...

I'm going to buy "Reefer Madness" also by Eric Schlosser which I've seen described as pretty much exactly that with a little wiggle. It's still only in hard back but the bright yellow cover will look good on my shelf.

[Khephra]

12. I should never go into a bookstore when I'm depressed and have cash

Picked up today, because I didn't know when to say "stop"

Franken's book
"The Great Unraveling" by Krugman
"They've Stolen Our Country and it's Time To Take It Back" - Hightower
"Big Lies" by Conason
"To Afghanistan and Back" by Rall

(also "Angels and Demons" by Brown and "The Eyre Affair" by FForde)

[Lindsey]

13. Lies and the Lying Liars to tell them

is #1 in the L.A. Time bestseller list! YIPEE! Also, Living History is still in the top 5 after being out 3 months. Maybe there's hope...

[BurtWorm]

14. Big Lies is moving up to 8, I think, from 11 on NYT bestsellers

Hightower's is also in the top 15. And Stupid White Men just got back on the list.

And Palast, Ehrenreich and Schlosser are on the paperback bestsellers.

[MissMarple]

17. Angels and Demons, was a good read ...

but fell apart at the end, in my opinion, that is. It was easy and fun to read. A friend asked me about his current effort The Da Vinci Code. I don't have time now to read it (maybe at Christmas) but I'm betting it lacks a certain academic rigor while being very readable. I hate it when you can't trust the basic facts. But then, that pretty much indicts everything we read.

Such is life.

Having said all that, I'm also recommending Wealth and Democracy by Kevin Philips and a book on the future of general aviation by Jim Fallows, Free Flight. But I'm also reading Nora Roberts' little witch trilogy given me by the girl child, so what can I say. :D

[Wolfman 11]

15. Also just finished the Franken book...

hilarious, especially the part about Bob Jones University (BJU).

I'm also in the middle of "War in a Time of Peace" by David Halberstam, and just bought "Rights of Man" by Thomas Paine. I finished "The Executioner's Song" by Norman Mailer a few weeks ago and I thought it was a tremendous book. Fictionwise, I just finished "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy and thought it was the best novel I've read in quite some time, and I have just started "The Sound and the Fury" by Faulkner. I am also trying to obtain every Heinrich Boll novel. They are hard to find around here.

I am unemployed so I read.

[mitchum]

16. "Blood Meridian" is verrrrrrrrrrrry good....

I think it's the best of McCarthy's work (and there are some strong contenders there) Cheers to your good taste...and welcome to DU

[SmileyBoy]

18. I'm working on a few books right now.

I just finished Al Franken's latest book, and I'm currently reading (well, actually "nipping at"):

People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William L. Shirer
Suburban Nation - Andres Duany
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy - Greg Palast
Cold Wars: 40 Years of Viking/Packer Football - Todd Mishler

[peekaloo]

19. All the Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer

story of the 1953 CIA overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh.....fucked up foreign policy over oil subsidies (ahem)....sheds light on the '79 hostage situation (why they hate us!).....very good book!