Michaelann Cohlmia từ Mal Nombre, Las Palmas, Spain

michaelann

12/22/2024

Dữ liệu người dùng, đánh giá và đề xuất cho sách

Michaelann Cohlmia Sách lại (10)

2019-09-05 13:30

Bồi Dưỡng Văn Năng Khiếu Lớp 11 Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn

Sách được viết bởi Bởi:

Reading Senator Obama's book reminded me of Umberto Eco's seminal work, Role of the Reader. (Hazily reminded me, as I read it over 10 years ago.) In the first part of that book, Eco conjures the idea of archetypical readers and discusses the different ways that each reader approaches a text. As I read Dreams from My Father I read it as two different readers. First, I read it as a book lover and critic; second, as a voter. (Listed in order of priority, I must confess.) As a memoir, I thought this book was well written. It follows a coherent temporal narrative that is basically linear. But it isn't bound by chronologic time. Obama is more sophisticated than that. I felt that the beginning of the book was particularly strong because Obama doesn't try to sentimentalize his childhood memories. By treating them very matter-of-factly, he allows us much better insight into his development. We are allowed to see his ruminations about that childhood later in the narrative, in his own adulthood, when he begins to contextualize and reflect on them more deeply. He describes his years in Chicago (before Harvard Law) with an honesty that reflects his doubts, guilt and uncertainty about himself and his future. The aspect of this book that brought it down to just a "liked it" rather than a "loved it" was Obama's description of his trip to visit his family in Kenya. I felt that much of it was precious, stereotypical and not nearly as nuanced as the rest of his story. I attribute that principally to the fact that he spent so little time there and that his view of Kenya is colored by western values and American ignorance of the nations of Africa and the people who inhabit them. He did manage to avoid the typical conceit of letting one experience in one country act as a representative for understanding the whole of the continent, but not by much. It was particularly interesting because he spends a good deal of time discussing and wondering how colonialism has influenced the self-image of those who have lived with it and through it and after it but he remains interestingly ignorant of how growing up in (what I would call) an "imperial" culture has influenced his own interpretation of his family and Kenyans. He never really questions what his Americanness brings to his understanding, only his blackness. Which brings me to my role as a voter. I had hoped to get some idea about Obama's political and organizing experience from this book. I had also hoped it would help me identify the priciples that guide his political position so I could get an idea of what his priorities are or will be for the country. The book doesn't really address either of those things. Of course, it's not meant to. This is a "memoir" of a man who is barely middle-aged. This is just volume one of "the Obama story". As a voter, I felt that it helped me to get to know the man as a person. And as a voter, I couldn't give a rat's ass about the man as a person. For example: I was shocked that he admitted to using cocaine as a young man in such a cavalier way but I cannot honestly say it will effect my vote or my opinion of him as public servant. All in all, I would say this was a good read but ultimately, it was just another memoir and Geishas are prettier.

2019-09-05 14:30

Bí Mật Của Naoko (Tái Bản 2017) Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn

Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Keigo Higashino

I just.... I can't even... Where to begin. Ten days. Ten long, gruesome days. That's the amount of time detective Archie Sheridan was tortured at the hands of a sadistic, but beautiful, serial killer, Gretchen Lowell. Those horrible ten days ended when Gretchen inexplicably called 911, told the operator where she and Archie were, and turned herself in after an eleven year killing spree and over 200 victims. Two years later, Archie is divorced, pops pills like they're candy, and refuses to contact his two children. He also has an unhealthy obsession with his former captor, Gretchen, and visits her every Sunday. He explains it away and says she's revealing one of her victims each week, but throughout the book his partner and ex-wife question if that's the only reason. Archie is also asked to be the head of a new task force, his first since going on medical leave after Gretchen's torment. He agrees, and the hunt for The After School Strangler begins. This killer is one who is kidnapping young girls, raping them, dousing them in bleach, strangling them, and then leaving their body somewhere to be found. Susan Ward is the other main character of this novel. She's a journalist that is shadowing Archie as he works his way through the case. She's a sarcastic, witty, intelligent woman, and my favorite character in this novel. This is Chelsea Cain's debut, and right out of the gate, she is one of my new favorite authors. There isn't really a dull moment in this book, each page left me wanting more. Everything about this story worked for me. Gretchen Lowell is, by far, one of the worst serial killers that I can recall, but there is something about her that made me want to skip ahead to the parts where she is mentioned. I was squirming when I read about the pain she inflicted on Archie (and not just because of my fear of needles) and when she described how she methodically tortured another of her victims. I'm so glad I already have the next in this series, Sweetheart, because it won't be long before I need to devour more of Cain's writing. This review can also be found on my blog, www.booktacularworld.blogspot.com

Người đọc Michaelann Cohlmia từ Mal Nombre, Las Palmas, Spain

Người dùng coi những cuốn sách này là thú vị nhất trong năm 2017-2018, ban biên tập của cổng thông tin "Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn" khuyến cáo rằng tất cả các độc giả sẽ làm quen với văn học này.