Sunday, May 22, 2011

Pebbles

The Education of a British-Protected Child
Chinua Achebe

A collection of essays, speeches and thoughts from the author of Things Fall Apart, this book somehow reminds me of the rambling, memoir-esque conversations you have here when drinking sugar cane juice in the countryside and grandpa sits down to tell stories.
Igbo proverb: “He who will hold another down in the mud must stay in the mud to keep him down.”

Eat Pray Love
Elizabeth Gilbert
Not my favorite, had I noticed that this book came with the “Now a major motion picture” sticker I might not have bought it. Anyway, it is the story of a woman’s year-long sojourn through Italy, India and Indonesia. Actually, it is the story of the author, the travel aspect is backdrop, which I suppose is the way it happened. The story is well written and often funny, but the self-centeredness of it was hard for me to get past…

Active Liberty: Interpreting Our Democratic Constitution
Stephen Breyer
A dry but very accessible and concise presentation of Justice Breyer’s approach to the constitution.

Why School? Reclaiming Education for All of Us
Mike Rose
An impassioned defense of the ideals behind the American experiment with public education.

Granny D: You’re Never Too Old to Raise Little Hell
Doris Haddock/Dennis Burke
“Small towns make up for their lack of people by having everybody be more interesting.”
‘Granny D’ an eighty-nine year old lady from small town New England walks across the US to raise awareness about campaign finance reform. As you might expect from such an eighty-nine year old, the story is full of humor and common sense.
Regarding roadside attractions that only happen on two-lane highways: “A good deal of fun died with Eisenhower’s interstate highway program, which he copied from the Nazis.”
“What is the point of being in Arizona, I decided, if you cannot be a rodeo queen?”