Category: Nonfiction

The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly

Nonfiction

I was once again tricked by a nice cover and a title that grabbed my attention which had me thinking, I have a feeling this is going to be a very enjoyable book. However, the reality is that it took me weeks to read it. I ended up reading a section of a chapter at a time because the only way I was able to get through it was by telling myself that I only needed to get to the next break. There were some interesting pieces of information, but as a whole I could not stay focused on the overall contents of the text. I’m mostly disappointed in myself for imagining that the book would be riveting based on the title and the summary on the back cover. I should know better as I have been tricked before.

I do have a few nice things to say though. I liked reading that one of my favorite guilty pleasures, fan fiction, is a form of Remixing, which makes me feel less guilty reading about characters from literature as reimagined by everyday hobbyist authors. The chapter titled Interacting was the one I found most engaging overall, as I could see examples of it in the lives of people around me. Also, there was one passage in that chapter that made me want to pick up my violin, which I haven’t touched in over a year, and it still impresses me that a short paragraph made me feel that way. Tracking reminded me of a book I have reviewed previously, Off The Clock, as it discussed future ways we might track ourselves to improve our health and various other aspects of our lives. 

Having been published in 2016, some of the forecasts made by the author have come to fruition, which is both intriguing and impressive. There are also predictions that I don’t see as likely to happen in our lifetimes, and perhaps not even at all. The book is a collection of ideas of what the future could possibly be like, if we don’t destroy the planet before humankind can figure out how to make these things possible. Some of the predictions and possibilities irked me a little and made me hope that I won’t be alive if technology indeed reaches that stage. Overall, not a bad book, but it’s not one I see myself reading again as I did not enjoy it very much.

Until I Meet My Husband by Ryousuke Nanasaki

Nonfiction

This is one of the books that captured my eye when my boyfriend said he would buy me a book but I presented him with a pile of three that I couldn’t decide between. It is a very personal autobiographical account of Ryousuke Nanasaki as he grew up in Japan realizing that he was different, but not realizing or perhaps refusing to admit, that he was gay. He takes you through his entire life from first crush and every crush and boyfriend he has up until he meets the right guy. Ryousuke and his partner end up celebrating the first gay marriage to become officially recognized in Japan, which I found very fitting and deserving when he also tells you how he and his partner established an LGBT community support group. He gives a lot of well deserved credit to his very supportive friends, without whom I don’t think he would have had the drive or courage to be out and proud and become such an advocate for others like himself. It is a very inspirational story, but it also demonstrates how much more needs to be done in Japanese society regarding the acceptance of the LGBT community.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Nonfiction

I think I picked this book up at just the right moment in my life. The things I do in the next few weeks have the potential to change the next few years of my life for the better or worse and I feel like some of the theories I have read in this book might be able to help me. I was recently laid off, and like most people that lose their jobs unexpectedly I didn’t know what to do for a few days. The author posed some questions that I believe by answering will help me figure out what I need to do. 

I found myself relating to so many stories chronicled by the author of people she had met and interviewed. I had so many aha moments, I put post-it notes on several pages of passages I wanted to read again and philosophical questions I wanted to go back and try to answer about myself. Chapter three in particular was when I first made a huge connection to this book. It made me realize why I hated school so much, working in groups, open concept layouts, lack of privacy, introverts hate these things, they can’t concentrate and they don’t produce their best work under these circumstances. I can recall many times in my life when I was required to work with a group for a project, and I always felt that I could have done something better on my own. Or other times when I was in a classroom trying to get a head start on my homework but really wishing I could just leave then and there and do it in my bedroom. 

I think I could read this book several more times and mark several more spots that I want to go back to and reflect on. I feel like this is a book that I am going to revisit many times in my life, especially when I feel like I need to try and learn something about myself or when I feel like I need to accept who I am. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who is an introvert or for anyone who wants some insight into the life of an introvert.

Action Park by Andy Mulvihill with Jake Rossen

Nonfiction

My boyfriend and I crossed the parking lot that lay between the restaurant we had just had lunch at and the bookstore next to it. I didn’t want to go inside because I didn’t want to spend any money. He agreed to buy me a book if we did. I honestly don’t know why he even suggested this, bringing me to a bookstore is both dangerous and expensive for anyone who offers to pay for the trip. I ended up presenting him with three books that I really, really wanted, and this is the first of the three that I finished reading. 

As a lifelong New Jersey resident, I have heard tales of Action Park. I was born after its glory days so I never got to experience it. Fortunately for me I found this chronicle written by the original owners’ son. The story is crazier than I could have ever imagined, it is unfathomable how much Gene Mulvihill got away with. The entire time I was reading I was waiting for the chapter in which he was sent to jail for either negligence or evasion and I was shocked and appalled that it never happened. Even if you have never heard of Action Park this is a story that you don’t want to pass over. And if you went to Action Park before all of its safety concerns were acknowledged and dangerous attractions were removed, you’re going to want to hear what went on behind the scenes. I know that there is a documentary out there, there is probably more than one even, but I think you’ll get more out of this book than you would a film if you’re interested in learning more about the park.

Suicide: A Study In Sociology by Emile Durkheim

Nonfiction

First published in 1897, this book, also considered a case study, dives deep into the social factors that can compel an individual to become suicidal. With over two dozen tables to be found over the course of three books, you fully appreciate the amount of time and care that went into analyzing the data and organizing it in a cohesive way. I also very much enjoy the detailed appendix at the end of the book. Even though I took notes, a lot of notes, more notes than I usually take when I read a book, I found the detailed appendix to be incredibly useful when I wanted to go back and read about a concept again. While some of the ideas are not relevant today, most of these ideas being about a woman’s role and place in society, most of the author’s observations about the influence that society has on the individual are still pertinent. 

I am very happy that John A. Spaulding and George Simpson took the time to translate this book from French to English, because then I would never have been able to read this and learn as much as I did. Besides learning, and although this is a book about a sociological issue, it raises some philosophical ideas. I found myself constantly thinking about points the author made, wondering why certain things are the way they are, and how certain circumstances are still in place in society today. Plights faced by mankind in the 19th century are ones that we still face today. It makes you wonder, will these difficulties always exist for certain people within our society? This book makes me ponder a lot of things and ask a lot of what if questions. I like books that make me think, and this one certainly makes me think a lot.