Tag: essays

They Are Us: A Plea for Common Sense About Immigration by Pete Hamill (Kindle Single)

They Are Us: A Plea for Common Sense About Immigration by Pete Hamill (Kindle Single)

Posted on by Jack

This was my first try at a Kindle Single. When I got the email from Amazon, I thought it was an interesting idea – short pieces of writing where the author is free to determine the length needed to present the idea without the constraints of size imposed by a newspaper or magazine.

Try a Single from Amazon

So I downloaded They Are Us: A Plea for Common Sense About Immigration by Pete Hamill. There has been a lot of talk about immigration and specifically illegal immigrants so I thought I would like to read his thoughts on the subject. His thoughts seemed especially relevant as New York has been the center for American immigrants for long time is he is a well- known New York journalist and writer. (I’ve seen him called the quintessential New Yorker in many places.) I had been hoping for a book length treatment of this but that project was cancelled and this shorter version was available. I had enjoyed a number of his books and articles before and thought it well worth the 99 cent price even though this single seemed very short. It was about 25 pages in the size font I like. I do hope that longer version eventually does come out.

This is really a personal view based on the author’s experience. (The author tells the reader that this is his view not an objective analysis). And it is a well written account of those views and how and why he came to them.

Too often in in our endless discussions on illegal immigrants and possible solutions we focus on the illegal part. People need to be punished for breaking our laws. Let’s deport all of them. But that ignores the children. They did nothing wrong. Some were born here. Other travelled with their parents. (Does a child really have many other choices?) How do we deal with that? Do we have some empathy or even compassion ? It is good to see this side of the debate passionately presented.

Montaigne: unusual biography of an accidental philosopher and first blogger

Montaigne: unusual biography of an accidental philosopher and first blogger

Posted on by Jack

The reviewers can’t seem to say enough good things about How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell. If there are any negative reviews I haven’t seen them.

The Amazon.com crowd will usually let you know if they don’t like something and there are nearly always few negatives even if most folks like it. But when I looked this afternoon there were 22 reviews and 16 were the highest rating (5 stars). The rest were 4 stars. Have a look there. Read some reviews if so inclined and maybe even buy the book.

The Library Journal puts in among the Ten Best Books of 2010. The book has gotten rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. (It was released in England before the U.S.) There is a wonderful portrait of the author and the book in the New York Times. But enough about everyone else; what do I think?

Montaigne believed the best way to discover how to live was in the examination of everyday things and events and writing about them in his Essays. In doing so he seems to have invented a new literary form. And you might consider some bloggers as his literary descendants. Speaking of blogs and such, I am grateful that the author chose to talk about the Oxford Muse self-portraits. I was unaware of this and it looks like some very interesting reading.

This is an unusual biography. But then Montaigne was an unusual man. He did think of himself as usual, or maybe as unusual as everyone else, but what made him really unusual was that he wrote about life and himself. And he had a knack for shifting his perspective, imagining events through the eyes of someone else or even his cat. (Yes, that was a shameless attempt to lure cat lovers to my blog.)

Sarah Bakewell has constructed a most unusual biography of this proto-blogger and accidental philosopher. It is structured around 20 answers (or as she puts in attempts at an answer) to the How to Live question. Bits about his life are scattered in among the answers and this a very seems suitable way to tell the story of his life. We slowly to know him as we listen to some of his answers and learn about his life.

The book is an enjoyable read. I felt I was learning much about Montaigne, his life, his philosophy, and the 16th century world he lived in while enjoying a good story or series of stories. The book reads like a novel perhaps because she make the subject so compelling but I think the book is so complete it would also be useful as an academic resource.

Here are a few more links if you want to read a bit more:

Also I might mention that I rarely am impressed with the design on the dust jacket but the design on the US version by John Gall is very good (in my opinion, of course).

Enough about this book and my opinions. I’m off to read some Montaigne essays which I hear are about you (and me!)

How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne

How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne

Posted on by Jack

I am currently reading How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell. So far I find it very interesting and enjoyable. Montaigne believed the best way to discover how to live a good and satisfying life was in the examination of everyday things and events and writing about them in his Essays. In doing so he seems to have invented a new literary form. And over the centuries since he lived and wrote, many have discovered that Montaigne’s Essays are a valuable tool in understanding their own lives.

I find Bakewell’s book is a wonderful introduction to this writer. I am about 10% through this book and will have more to say about it when finished. Since the book is organized around 20 attempts to answer the “How to Live” question, it may be suited to taking breaks after reading each chapter but so far I have not felt the urge for a break. If I am still as excited about Montaigne’s Essays at the end, I may tackle those.