One book. One week. One foot in the grave.

My book this week is another nonfiction novel examining the issue of race relations in America, specifically the plight of the black and impoverished citizens of the American inner-city. In More than Just Race , sociologist William Julius Wilson attempts to identify the factors that contribute to the trend of joblessness, poverty, and non-nuclear family structures that characterize many poor urban areas. Wilson talks about the previous research surrounding poverty among black Americans and is very clearly able to dissect what conclusions seem to stick, which are only partially supported by other research, and which don't seem to hold up beyond the confines of that single study. In the end, he arrives at the conclusion that black urban poverty is a mix of both structural factors (the way social positions, social roles, and networks of social relationships are arranged in our institutions, such as the economy, polity, education, and organization of the family) and cultural factors...

This marks the first nonfiction book I've read so far in this blog. How the Irish Became White is an explanation by author and historian Noel Ignatiev's observations on how the Irish went from being seen as "nonwhite" and being treated inferiorly to those of western European descent to becoming identified as white today. I was interested to delve into this book because I knew vaguely of the issues that surrounded the Irish when they first emigrated to the United States to avoid the persecution they faced from the English: it was interesting to learn that the Irish were not only leaving because of the hopeless conditions caused by the famous Irish potato famine, but because Irish catholics had their rights severely stricken to prevent them from owning property, practicing catholicism, and holding certain jobs. The novel really drives the point in that they were effectively second-class citizens, making their actions as American citizens that more disappointing.  ...

I'm sure many people have already heard of The Handmaid's Tale  due to the recently popular Hulu series based on the novel. While I've read other books for this blog that have had TV/movie adaptations, none have been so popular in the modern day as this. The novel takes place in the United States, some unspecified time in the future, after the collapse of the United States. The U.S. is now the Republic of Gilead, which features a strict caste system for men and women centered around the tenets of Christianity. The novel follows Offred, who is a handmaiden, which means her job is to live with a family and copulate with the male head of household in hopes of producing a child. This is extremely difficult in this setting, as increased usage of birth control and environmental pollution has left many women sterile or unlikely to produce healthy children. Offred's perspective shows us how crushing this lifestyle is on the human spirit, not just for her and the other han...

It is in my nature to be candid, and that's exactly what I'm about to do. Forgive me if I hurt some of you, but I can't knowingly sit on a lie and betray the trust of those of you reading. The truth is... I didn't read anything this week. I read all the books in my blog because I'm assigned weekly readings in another class I have and we didn't have any assigned for fall break. Great in the context of that class, but what about my blog content? Must it suffer just so I can give my tired old eyes a break? No! That's why this week, I'm going to flip my blog theme right on it's head and talk about my favorite podcast instead. And if you're one of those people who likes to whine about the progression of technology, you might even think the audiobooks/podcasts are the modern version of books, so in that sense, I'm not really doing anything out of sorts. Your Kickstarter Sucks is a podcast derived from a Tumblr blog of the same name. Ev...

We're back with another historically-relevant graphic novel! Don't worry-I am ready and eager to read all different types of books in the future, but for now, follow on my journey through Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. Persepolis is a nonfiction graphic novel that chronicles the youth of the author as she grows up during the Iranian Revolution. She is exposed to many awful components of the revolution, including watching her family and loved ones get sent to prison, where they are often tortured or killed. She also is subjected to the sexism and danger that comes with being a young girl living in a strict theocracy where women aren't allowed many personal freedoms. All the while, he experiences are illustrated through the eyes of a 10-year-old child, making each situation that much more jarring. There are many aspects about this book that leave me with the feeling that it is truly special. One is Marjane's conflict, even as a young child, of deciding between...

This marks my blog's first graphic novel! I had a class in high school where I had an entire graphic novel unit, which left me for a great appreciation for the medium, so I was excited to jump back into it. In that sense, it's fitting that I'm reading one of the most popular modern graphic novels, Maus by Art Spiegelman. This novel has transcended traditional attitudes about graphic novels ("they're just picture books!" cry the elitists) and has been integrated into many school curricula. I know my own brother read it in his middle school holocaust unit and enjoyed it very much. The word "enjoyed" might sound odd in the context of a book about the holocaust, but that enjoyment seems to come from the emotional resonance that arises from the personal testimony of the author's father. The story is told through the perspective of the author/illustrator's father, a jewish holocaust survivor named Vladek, as a series of stories he relates...

Anthem is the first novel so far where I have to admit that I held some sort of bias before going into the book. While I haven't read it before, I have some staunch opinions about the book's author, Ayn Rand. For those who are unfamiliar, Ayn Rand is considered a prolific author for her books Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead . She is famous for the highly individualistic messaging in her novels and rejects any forms of collectivism, attitudes which were inspired by her growing up in Soviet Russia. The situations she presents in her works have made her a staple reading for modern libertarians and conservatives, two groups whose values oppose mine. Rand was also publicly homophobic, arguing that homosexuals were immoral and shouldn't receive equal employment rights under the law. Suffice to say, we have very different views of the world, and I didn't want to get my opinions down without acknowledging that. Walking in with knowledge of Rand's political philosophy...