i saw samantha power speak tonight at politics and prose about her new book – “Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World”. The book chronicles the amazing life and tragic death of one of the united nation’s most cherished activist in his service in Iraq.
great speech, had to leave during the q and a to run to rock and roll hotel.
just finished one of the many books i’m currently in the middle of reading… one l.
something makes this book stand out for me. perhaps that it’s the fact that i hope to be in the shoes of the author entering my first year of law school in the next eighteen months or so. or perhaps it’s the education that so inspired the author throughout his tumultuous journey as a one l at harvard law school.
regardless, i found myself in the swells of his joys, pains, and anxieties as i read this thoroughly enjoyable read. while it’s the one book everyone looks to if they’re considering studying law, this book is accessible to any and all readers.
i’m in the midst of finals, so i’m in the middle of lots and lots of read. elsewhere, here’s what i’m looking at:
- nice profile of the national from paste magazine. boxer is definitely one of the best albums of the year.
- nytimes offers a worthy analysis of mitt romney’s speech “faith in america”.
- a not-so-funny satire at radar online linking the tragic mall shootings to omaha-native conor oberst.
- speaking of not funny, mark penn does his best to show the clinton campaign was just kidding.
- nytimes gives love to radiohead’s new album and their payment model.
Finished reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell this evening before class. My take…? Mixed.
Yes, Gladwell’s clearly a gifted write, keeping the audience hanging onto each word through every information packed page. Yet the overall work suffers from the lack of consistent focus. The investigations and statistical findings he presents are engaging and intriguing and offers insight to the subtle biases within our subconscious selves. But as a whole, all this data only comes off as anecdotal without a clear message to deduce from all this information. At times Gladwell suggests to listen to the “blink instances” of instant, unconscious jerk reactions. Other times, he suggests a long deliberation before making judgment. How to differentiate when to use one approach from the other, Gladwell says it’s tough to tell.
That’s a tough answer to swallow after all the information (albeit it well written) you’re asked to process. In the end, it leaves the reader asking for more.
Finally got around to finishing Fever Pitch today. I had held out on reading this book in the first place for so long because of the author’s unabashed allegiance to Arsenal. Hornby’s one of the more engaging writers I’ve read in a while. This is a must read for any and all soccer fans (including Spurs fans like myself).
Hornby constantly refers to ‘football’ as a metaphor, and with the past 36 hours Tottenham and myself have had, I couldn’t agree more.
Finished reading How Soccer Explains The World.
Nothing too enlightening, but an amazing account of how the effects of politics, economics, religion, culture, and prejudice can be identified on and off the pitch through the beautiful game.
