Let's take a moment for me to orient you to what's here
On the pages linked to this one there are dozens of book reviews.
To make finding what will interest you easier, I've given you two browsing pages (the Book Shelves) -- one for fiction, the other for non-fiction. If you hover your cursor over the title, my rating of the book appears. Then there are two pages of reviews (right .... one for fiction, one for non-fiction). I've arranged all the books in each category in alphabetical order by author.
I approach my book reviews from the perspective of my subjective experience of reading the book. There is a bit of a synopsis of the book there too, but you will figure out how I feel about it.
Here are the links:
Fiction Bookshelf
Non-Fiction Bookshelf
Fiction Reviews
Non-Fiction Reviews
But that's not all that's here on these pages. Immediately below is a review of my most recent read. Below that is the title of the book I am currently reading.
And then we get to my faves. There is a memoir I really recommend (and a couple of other memoirs too). Then there are my top picks for each of the fiction and non-fiction categories. Finally, there's an interesting grouping of four books that have helped me come to terms with a perplexing social/ political issue.
To make finding what will interest you easier, I've given you two browsing pages (the Book Shelves) -- one for fiction, the other for non-fiction. If you hover your cursor over the title, my rating of the book appears. Then there are two pages of reviews (right .... one for fiction, one for non-fiction). I've arranged all the books in each category in alphabetical order by author.
I approach my book reviews from the perspective of my subjective experience of reading the book. There is a bit of a synopsis of the book there too, but you will figure out how I feel about it.
Here are the links:
Fiction Bookshelf
Non-Fiction Bookshelf
Fiction Reviews
Non-Fiction Reviews
But that's not all that's here on these pages. Immediately below is a review of my most recent read. Below that is the title of the book I am currently reading.
And then we get to my faves. There is a memoir I really recommend (and a couple of other memoirs too). Then there are my top picks for each of the fiction and non-fiction categories. Finally, there's an interesting grouping of four books that have helped me come to terms with a perplexing social/ political issue.
My most recent read
★★★★★
These two books challenge the typical notion of what freedom means. On Tyranny is a back-pocket book, the sort of thing to have handy with you in the subway for your commute. Good stuff, but … Then, when you come to reading On Freedom, you’ll need to have your wits about you.
Timothy Snyder thinks about things differently. His writing is enthusiastic. He’s eager, or perhaps determined, for us to join him in those different thoughts. His principle thesis is that there are two types of freedom, one which is not really freedom at all. Snyder labels it as negative freedom, or freedom from. Negative freedom is the escaping from or dismantling of what one perceives as a limiting structure. Examples would be a country no longer being occupied by a foreign army or the elimination of government regulations on the marketplace. However, freedom from creates a vacuum, making the individual vulnerable to other, less obvious, controlling forces.
The other type of freedom is freedom to. Positive freedom is the ability to act with personal autonomy within a safe and supportive context. Snyder postulates that positive freedom, the freedom to, provides a fifth dimension to life. Several self-sustaining characteristics define that freedom: freedom to allows us to have multiple values and combine those uniquely to face circumstances; freedom to allows us to see and respect the life force within all other people; freedom to allows us to make unpredictable choices, ones not dictated by the control of others; freedom to allows us to have mobility both geographically and economically; finally freedom to allows us to act in consort with other free individuals to sustain the political and economic context that promotes freedom for all.
Whew!
All of that seems quite abstract. Let’s consider an example. Libertarianism by freeing the market and restricting the role of government and institutional regulation promotes economic freedom but only for the wealthy. They are free to make and accumulate wealth without restriction, this causing a widening wealth gap with the rest of the population. This gap limits the freedom of the poor and working classes by lessening the possibilities for upward mobility. Further it creates adverse and limiting impacts on the non-wealthy by unleashing conditions that could’ve been controlled by regulations protecting the public.
These ideas are compelling and provocative. They challenge the conventional notion of unbridled capitalism which claims to offer freedom but actually limits the freedom of most of society’s population.
Snyder advocates civil action to increase the freedom of all within the society. Examples include insuring the wealthy pay their share of taxes, that there are adequate regulations to control adverse environmental and social risks, and that there is parental leave and adequate education for all so children can grow to be autonomous adults. A free society supports journalism so its people can know the facts about society and culture surrounding them. A free person engages in political involvement to make sure the structures of a free society are maintained.
One gets a palpable sense of Snyder’s excitement with this analysis. Unfortunately that also compromises the quality of the read. Seemingly breathlessly he leaps from one observation, or implication, or sage advice, or obvious wisdom to another leaving the reader struggling to keep up and make the connections. He has chosen an organizational structure for On Freedom that groans under the weight of all the things he is so eager to write.
One other quick note. In addition to the philosophical and political elements within On Freedom Snyder also writes beautifully about science and his childhood and family memories on a his family multiple generations farm in Ohio. These personal anecdotes shine as gems in the midst of all the other analysis.
These are important books to read. These are important books to think through. It is an exercise of our freedom to be able to do so.
Timothy Snyder thinks about things differently. His writing is enthusiastic. He’s eager, or perhaps determined, for us to join him in those different thoughts. His principle thesis is that there are two types of freedom, one which is not really freedom at all. Snyder labels it as negative freedom, or freedom from. Negative freedom is the escaping from or dismantling of what one perceives as a limiting structure. Examples would be a country no longer being occupied by a foreign army or the elimination of government regulations on the marketplace. However, freedom from creates a vacuum, making the individual vulnerable to other, less obvious, controlling forces.
The other type of freedom is freedom to. Positive freedom is the ability to act with personal autonomy within a safe and supportive context. Snyder postulates that positive freedom, the freedom to, provides a fifth dimension to life. Several self-sustaining characteristics define that freedom: freedom to allows us to have multiple values and combine those uniquely to face circumstances; freedom to allows us to see and respect the life force within all other people; freedom to allows us to make unpredictable choices, ones not dictated by the control of others; freedom to allows us to have mobility both geographically and economically; finally freedom to allows us to act in consort with other free individuals to sustain the political and economic context that promotes freedom for all.
Whew!
All of that seems quite abstract. Let’s consider an example. Libertarianism by freeing the market and restricting the role of government and institutional regulation promotes economic freedom but only for the wealthy. They are free to make and accumulate wealth without restriction, this causing a widening wealth gap with the rest of the population. This gap limits the freedom of the poor and working classes by lessening the possibilities for upward mobility. Further it creates adverse and limiting impacts on the non-wealthy by unleashing conditions that could’ve been controlled by regulations protecting the public.
These ideas are compelling and provocative. They challenge the conventional notion of unbridled capitalism which claims to offer freedom but actually limits the freedom of most of society’s population.
Snyder advocates civil action to increase the freedom of all within the society. Examples include insuring the wealthy pay their share of taxes, that there are adequate regulations to control adverse environmental and social risks, and that there is parental leave and adequate education for all so children can grow to be autonomous adults. A free society supports journalism so its people can know the facts about society and culture surrounding them. A free person engages in political involvement to make sure the structures of a free society are maintained.
One gets a palpable sense of Snyder’s excitement with this analysis. Unfortunately that also compromises the quality of the read. Seemingly breathlessly he leaps from one observation, or implication, or sage advice, or obvious wisdom to another leaving the reader struggling to keep up and make the connections. He has chosen an organizational structure for On Freedom that groans under the weight of all the things he is so eager to write.
One other quick note. In addition to the philosophical and political elements within On Freedom Snyder also writes beautifully about science and his childhood and family memories on a his family multiple generations farm in Ohio. These personal anecdotes shine as gems in the midst of all the other analysis.
These are important books to read. These are important books to think through. It is an exercise of our freedom to be able to do so.
What I'm currently reading
A highly recommended memoir.
The Dark Threads (★★★★★) is a memoir of an unnecessary and traumatic journey of a young woman through the mental health treatment system. I have the privilege of getting to know this author (we met on Twitter no less!). We are beta-readers for each other and email pals with daily correspondence. Her memoir depicts psychiatric diagnosis and treatment at it's worse. It is horrifying to read. But she has survived.
I have also pictured below a couple of other memoirs which I really enjoyed.
I have also pictured below a couple of other memoirs which I really enjoyed.
And some other fascinating memoirs...
My Fiction Faves
You can find the reviews for these books with the other fiction reviews through this link
My Non-Fiction Faves
You can find the reviews for these books with the other non- fiction reviews through this link.
A Political Grouping
I have been fascinated by the unholy marriage of the American Evangelical church to Donald Trump. There are several books that have helped me to understand this cultural and historical debacle. You might want to check them out.
You can find the reviews for these books with the other non- fiction reviews through this link.
You can find the reviews for these books with the other non- fiction reviews through this link.
A final thought ...
While I worked as a psychologist I didn't have the time or mental energy to read. The books reviewed on the following pages have come into my life over the last five years. I've found myself expanded by them in understanding the human condition and the context in which we explore our subjective experience of living the life we have. I hope you will find here the books that will do that for you too.