Even though I haven’t been online that much this summer, I have still been pretty mediated, albeit old school style with books. I thought I’d share during this brief blogging pause what I’ve been reading.
“The Power of Place: Geography, Destiny, and Globalization’s Rough Landscape” (Harm De Blij)
So far so good, The Power of Place uses geography to remap how we think about globalization. This is a myth buster.
“Spook Country” (William Gibson)
I didn’t like this one so much. Shallow characters and uninteresting plot, but Gibson has such an interesting mind that many of the book’s concepts and commentary save it.
“The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living” (Fritjof Capra)
I wish I had read this before writing my book. What a powerhouse of ideas and inspiration for relating cell structure with how societies are constructed. Super scary stuff on GMOs as well.
“The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift” (Andres R. Edwards)
If you don’t know much about what sustainability is, you’re not alone. Most people who were polled in the US couldn’t define or recognize the term, “sustainability.” No matter, the book gets under the hood by providing a wealth of definitions from various ecological organizations and schools of thought.
This is the best pedagogical overview you will find that filters education through an ecological paradigm. Again, I wish I had read this before I wrote my book.
“Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations” (Clay Shirky)
Worth all the buzz. Shirky translates in simple language the emerging paradigm of social networks and activism.
As I blogged previously, I found this book to be a good breakdown of how economic control and imperialism is actually practiced. This was probably the most interesting summer read for me because at times it’s like a spy novel, but it’s all true.
And finally my book. I’ve been reading it here and there and still feel good about it.
Regarding Spook Country:
I actually liked this book, largely because I thought the characters represented some interesting relationships between institutions, especially in terms of loyalty and motive. I also like Gibson’s colliding ideas about technology and conspiracy, which always carry me through the enigmas of his plots without making me feel like I need a hard-and-fast resolution.
I’ve found, in both this book and Pattern Recognition, that there was one really fascinating character; in Pattern Recognition, it was Cayce, whose sensitivity to logos and impressions was a pretty amazing device. In Spook Country, it was definitely Tito, who was a great little wish-fulfillment superhero child prodigy. I was excited every time I got to one of the passages about him.
Did you read Pattern Recognition, and did you like it? Are you a fan of Gibson’s more classic sci-fi?
Congrats on the publication, and hope the summer’s awesome.
Jesse, Thanks for the comment. Yes, I loved Pattern Recognition, one of Gibson’s best. I’ve read all his novels since day one, so I’m definitely a big fan, but this one just didn’t click for me. It started strong with some beautiful passages, but I kept waiting for more depth in the characters. They all seemed to be victims of the events surrounding them. I didn’t find their motives believable, though I liked some of the metacommentary he made on his previous writings (such as his observation that cyberspace was not a literal place). Any book get your attention lately?