Books Listed: 14
 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick Suskind (Translated by J.E. Woods) |
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Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New Ed edition; 1987 Genre: Fiction - Horror Pages: 272 Rating: 
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I loved the movie and decided that I wanted to try out the book. When my reading group selected this one, I was excited to open it up. Suffice to say, I was satisfied with the book. The main character, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, was definitely... a bad person. I spent so much of the book wondering what was going on in his head, trying to diagnose just what mental illness he suffered from to be so without emotion. Cruel, perhaps not, but definitely without moral judgment or really any sense of attachment to the people around him. I found myself disgusted, asking myself, "what is wrong with this guy?!" more times that I could possibly count. Ultimately, I found all of the characters repulsive in their own way, full of their own evil and vice. I think this was intended. Chilling of all is the plot, the decision of scentless Jean-Baptiste Grenouille to possess the sweetest smell of them all: the smell of beautiful young women. He is truly a man filled only with his own strange desires and hatred. His power to map any scent, to smell everything around him, is used to this end. It's a book about obsession, murder, mystery, mental illness, beauty... so many categories. It's definitely a good read, too, for anyone who likes historical fiction. |
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Submission (Deviations Book 1), Owen| Chris & Jodi Payne |
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Publisher: Torquere Press; 2008 Genre: Fiction - Erotica Pages: 316 Rating: 
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I like what this does for the BDSM scene. Submission shows that even in a BDSM relationship, there is romance and affection. So many people are under the (false) impression that BDSM is about cruelty and slavery when that's just not so. The book moved fast but not too fast. The characters were well developed, as well; I didn't leave the book feeling as if I lacked an understanding of the characters. What's more, I liked them and I was rooting for it to work. Submission focuses on the submissive, Noah and how he and his new Dom, Tobias, work through Noah's trust issues to bring him to the ultimate state of slavery. It was very hot but also very emotional. Definitely a good read for anyone who likes gay erotica with an edge. This isn't about light spanking and handcuffs, guys. |
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As The Romans Did: A Sourcebook in Roman Social History, Jo-Ann Shelton |
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Publisher: Oxford University Press| USA; 1997 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 512 Rating: 
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This is an excellent book; that is the best way to describe it. The book uses both primary and secondary sources to illuminate the lives, customs, values, and every day workings of a whole world of different Roman people. This book describes how Romans lived, what they loved, their class differences, their gender differences, their social customs, and just... generally who they were. It has sections on bathrooms, sewers, contraception, doctors, state religion, prostitution, war captives, urban dangers... there are hundreds of things, really, and all uniquely fascinating. The best part of this book is the source material, though. In this book, a reader sees Rome through the eyes of a Roman or someone close to the Roman world. Used are such materials as graffiti, letters, tomb inscriptions, in addition to books. It's a valuable resource for anyone who is studying Roman history. |
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A Brief History of the Romans, Mary T. Boatwright| Daniel J. Gargola| and Richard J. A. Talbert |
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Publisher: Oxford University Press| USA; 2005 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 352 Rating:
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A brief history of the Romans indeed, but a very good and concise history. The book is largely political, but there are occasional splattering of Roman social history and structure. This isn't a book full of 'fun' facts, but after you read it you leave with a sense that you understand the progression from Republic to Empire to Decline. The book has some really great maps and pictures, as well as boxes with quotes from writers such as Livy and Polybius. Fortunately, the events in the book are also fairly chronological, which is a blessing when reading about that many events and people, especially ones whose names tend to be very similar. All in all, it's a great book for anyone who wants a more than general (though not complete and in depth) idea of Roman history. |
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Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill |
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Publisher: Princeton University Press; 1996 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 264 Rating:
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This is more than just a book about Roman houses. This book first describes Roman houses and decoration and then puts them into context by delving into the Roman house as a status object, as a hierarchical space, and as a place for both leisure and work. This book really captures the nature of the Roman by describing what they used their space for. The author compares the Roman home to more modern structures for understanding, but the basis of the book is not to compare and contrast the two. It's definitely not the sort of book for someone who is looking for the basics, though. Sometimes, the way the houses are described seems more a mathematical equation than description of living/working space. |
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Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History, Patrick Diggins |
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Publisher: W. W. Norton; 2007 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 512 Rating: 
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Why the low rating? Because I really did not want to read a biography about Ronald Regan. I admit that I went into this book with a scene from The Boondocks in mine- the scene where Huey tells everyone at the dinner party that Ronald Regan is the devil. In short, I feel that this was a fairly balanced account of his life, though I do feel that to compare Regan with Lincoln is stretching it a bit. Regan came off in this book as a happy and carefree grandfather who feels as if everything is going to be okay. That, of course, doesn't meld well with the culture of selfishness that his policies supported while at the same time cutting welfare off as a parasite to the economy and to America. The Regan years are very much the years of fast paced, caffeine fueled personal economic battles (just watch the movies of that time) and the chant of "Me, Me, Me." And yes, I also know why Huey would call Regan the devil. It makes sense now. |
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The Seventies: The Great Shift in American Culture, Society, and Politics, Bruce J. Schulman |
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Publisher: Da Capo Press; 2002 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 334 Rating:
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Don't let the title deceive you. This book spans 1968 to 1985, though to understand the influences and legacy of the 1970s, it's necessary to look a little before and ahead. You'll get a little of a lot in this book: disco, redneck culture, southern pride, Nixon, Carter, taxes, Watergate, feminism, punk rock, New Age religion, Taxi Driver, ethic pride, diversity, communes... this book is full of those unique snapshots that defined 70s culture. It defines the 'Me' generation, the generation disenchanted with the failures of an attempted 'Us' way of life of the 1960s. This book isn't perfect, though. It is missing some important things such as the importance of drug culture. Other events are tilted and biased or... a little not quite right. But, it's still a great resource on 70s culture and how the culture of the 60s became what defines the 70s. |
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Lili: A Novel, Annie Wang |
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Publisher: Anchor; 2002 Genre: Fiction - History Pages: 320 Rating:
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The Good and the Bad. Or rather, the Bad and the Good. The Bad: the character of Lili is not three dimensional. She comes off apathetic in a manner that is insincere and underdeveloped. I found it all but impossible to relate to her, to sympathize with her, because her character was absolutely unrealistic in an emotional sense. Another bad: Roy. For a man who loves Chinese culture so much, he sure did say a lot of very uneducated and superficial things. It seemed that the author used Roy to portray both the 'typical' uneducated Westerner full of biases and the educated and enlightened Westerner. He was yet another cliche like all of the main characters. And, I found it hard to believe that Roy was unable, in the end, to see the full implication of the protests considering he had participated in them in the United States. The Good: the background. Along with Lili's superficial and uninteresting development (which, in the end, will leave you unsatisfied not because the ending is without resolution, but because Lili remains undeveloped) is the background of a fascinating and diverse China. There are rising stars, bored and angry youngsters, people with caviar dreams, people who idealize the wrong things, peasants who have yet to come to terms with the end of the Cultural Revolution, a 'backward' way of life that is no more pure than the corruption of city life... the list goes on and on. The real value of Lili is in this, in this snapshot of diverse, developing, modernizing China, which culminates with the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. |
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Brown V. Board of Education: Caste, Culture, and the Constitution (Landmark Law Cases and American Society), Robert J. Cottrol| Robert| Raymond T. D Amond| Leland B. Ware| and Raymond T. Diamond |
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Publisher: University Press of Kansas; 2003 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 272 Rating:
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This book does not begin with the famous Brown decision of 1954, but it begins pre-Civil War, pre-Progressive Era, pre-Civil Rights. In fact, the Brown decision doesn't come up until half of the book is already complete. The preceding chapters sort of build you up, sets up a framework of laws and culture that help properly understand how very important the Brown decision was. You go from the 14th Amendment to Plessy and then all the way to Brown with a whole lot of stuff happening in between. With almost 100 years of dynamic racial history leading up to Brown, the book properly gives credit to how groundbreaking Brown truly was and how it is, as as result, changed the way America is today. |
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Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture), David Howard-Pitney |
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Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; 2004 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 207 Rating:
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Simplification is necessary when it comes to history. Without it, our volumes of information would be so overwhelming that few would be brave enough to dive into them. It also allows people to easily understand a very complex set of interrelationships and interaction. Polar opposites, while perhaps not as polar as they seem, allow people to categorize information and easily recall it. It's a necessary evil. In history classes, we are taught two sets of polar opposite simplifications: Martin Luther King Jr. was the peaceful preacher who advocated integration and Malcolm X was the frightening and violent advocate of action against whites. These are simplifications. Also, they are definitions lacking the proper train of understanding at their core. Meaning, we give the ends without discussing the means. The whys and hows are missing, which does a great disservice to the legacy of these two influential men. The reasons to buy, read, and love this book are many. First, it dispels the oversimplification in just a few short chapters. It does what lengthy biography and years of discussion has largely failed to instill in the modern mind. To look at Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X is not to see integration vs. separation, peaceful resistance vs. 'any means necessary,' or love vs. hate. One of the great thing that this book does is show that in addition to many differences, these men did also have a lot of similarities. Indeed, they even began to modify their views in time to meet in the middle, though a few fundamentals never wavered. Another valuable thing that this book does is present a short introduction, but allow the bulk of the book to consist of primary documents that put words to detail. In the end, the most important thing is not to agree with everything that is said, but to understand it. It is easy, for example, to feel frightened by Malcolm X and his views. But without context and a proper understanding of his history and his person is to make assumptions about him without justification. One can only make decisions when informed. The same goes for Martin Luther King Jr. and the idea that he was a peaceful, speech giving womanizer. While these might fit the standard mold, truth is more complex and infinitely more interesting. If you at all have any interest in Civil Rights or the 1960s, I feel that this book is essential. Not only does it chronicle two important and influential men, but it gives a good picture of the ideas, troubles, and influences of the highly dynamic and trouble ridden time. |
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Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism: A Brief Biography with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture), Bruce J. Schulman |
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Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; 2006 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 304 Rating:
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A clear and concise picture of Lyndon B. Johnson's personality and policies. First, his rise to the head of the Senate, his Vice Presidency, his Presidency, the Great Society, Civil Rights, Voting Rights, and finally his downfall, the war in Vietnam. Schulman discusses not only the technical, historical details, but illuminates the unique personality of Johnson that had him both crude and brutish and sensitive and eager for people to like him. The general consensus is that Johnson would have, perhaps, been the greatest President ever (or perhaps second to FDR) if he had only pulled out of Vietnam. Again, this book takes a step above the rest by including with the biographical data primary source documents. It allows for more than the reading of history, but the personal experience and interpretation of it. |
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To Secure These Rights: The Report of President Harry S Truman's Committee on Civil Rights (The Bedford Series in History and Culture), Steven F. Lawson |
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Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; 2003 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 200 Rating:
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As part of the Bedford Series, this document contains both primary source documents and biographical/historical information. It would be a great resource for students who would have both the primary sources for first hand historical experience and biographical, factual information to place the documents within the correct historical framework. Context is often missing when it comes to primary sources and students don't get as much out of them as they should because they don't truly understand the significance lacking appropriate context. Great for students. Hey, great for anyone who has an interest in Civil Rights. This specific book is geared towards the Civil Rights of the 1940s, during the Truman Administration, which casts light on the issue since many believe Civil Rights to be a strong 1960s issue. |
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In Denial: Historians, Communism and Espionage, John Earl Haynes & Harvey Klehr |
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Publisher: Encounter Books; 2005 Genre: Nonfiction - History Pages: 299 Rating:
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There are two types of historians: traditional and revisionist. According to Haynes and Klehr, revisionist historians have dominated the area of Cold War history for too long. Among the crimes of the Cold War historians are denial, justification, and outright lies. After the opening of the Soviet Archives, it was released that the American Communist Party had more influence from Moscow than originally thought. Espionage was more rampant than people thought perhaps, just maybe, McCarthy wasn't on a wild witch hunt. Revisionist historians have since continued to deny horrors and influence, have mitigated events, and manipulate evidence to justify Stalin and espionage. However, I think that Harvey and Klehr would have had a more sound argument had they not come off sounding unprofessional in their direct usage of personal insults and adjectives. |
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling |
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Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books; 2007 Genre: Fiction - Drama Pages: 759 Rating:
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With everything that has been said about his book, I have to say that I enjoyed it completely. A lot of people aren't too pleased with the ending, but I accept that this is JK Rowling's creation; only she knows how the books should and can end. No amount of fan pondering and analyzing can really make a fan know better than her. It's her creation, her world. I thought the developing, finally realized relationship between Rom and Hermione was absolutely adorable. In between the tension of the serious, dark plot, their interactions were refreshing. It was also nice to see Neville get to be Hero again, and to see that Harry is not perfect in mind or in spirit. Yet, there's an important underlying moral there that a person can still be imperfect but do the right thing for the right reasons, often times selflessly. The 'final' battle of Harry v. Voldemort felt sort of rushed, but I accept that. It certainly wasn't anti-climactic. I went away from it feeling that all had been said and done; indeed, many holes were left, but I was content with the answers given. And though the battle was quick, battles aren't often long drawn out dramatic affairs. They don't need to stretch on for pages and pages to be meaningful. |