June 18, 2005
Infected!
As Mandos has previously noted, there is a plague spreading the internet known alternately as "book tag" or "book meme." Despite my best efforts to quarantine this blog, Rachel, David Johnson, and William McBeath have all managed to infect us. One day, they will all pay dearly. But not right now.
Number of books I own
About 125-150, including textbooks. I'm not really a big book reader (I'm more into magazines and news sites), and I tend to borrow rather than buy.
Last book that I bought (excluding textbooks)
Plan of Attack
The incomparable Bob Woodward's (yes, the Watergate reporter) account of the decision and planning for the Iraq War. Woodward's account is based on confidential minutes of National Security Meetings, Cabinet meetings, and war planning meetings as well as interviews with over 75 administration insiders including Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Tommy Franks, and even George W. Bush himself. The book reads as a narrative of the events as they unfold. Woodward doesn't render any opinion on Bush's decision to invade; all he does is present the facts as he knows them. It is the most coherent and nonpartisan account of the decision to invade Iraq that I've read, showing the Bush administration as having engaged in deception from time to time, but also showing that what the Michael Moores of the world claim are huge exaggerations.
Last book I read
Think Big
Preston Manning's memoir of his time in politics. Manning discusses The creation and rise of the Reform Party, the Reform Party's dissolution into the Canadian Alliance, and Manning's observations of the decline of the Canadian Alliance. Manning is scathing in his attacks on Liberal corruption and abuse of democracy and rights, is strongly critical of Stephen Harper's actions in the Reform Party, is balanced in his assessment of Stockwell Day's dismal leadership, and thankful and appreciative of the Canadian voters who supported his mission. Manning is self-deprecating in his descriptions of his personal life and the importance of religion and family to him. Most interesting to me is Manning's discussion of the ethical and moral dimensions of personal and political conduct, dimensions that few seem to value these days.
Five Books that mean a lot to me
This is a very difficult question to answer.
Bush at War
Bob Woodward's (yes, him again) account of the first 60 days in the War on Terror (basically from September 11, 2001 to the end of the Afgan War) and the beginnings of planning for war in Iraq. As with all of Woodward's accounts, Woodward does not take personal opinions or argue one side or another. All he does is present the facts as he has found them in confidential proceedings of Cabinet, the National Security Council, and other meetings, as well as through interviews with key players such as Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, and George Bush himself. Reading this book was a bit of a surreal experience. I basically read it in late 2002, so only a little over a year after September 11 and the Afgan War (events I followed in ridiculous detail), I was reading detailed accounts of events I recalled vividly.
This book is important to me because it fundamentally changed my understanding of politics and of the Bush administration in particular. I now better appreciate what it is like being in power in difficult times (Woodward's The Agenda is also good in this regard). I better understand how bias and ideology can affect one's judgement and decision-making. And, I now have a very deep respect for George Bush despite my strong disagreements with much of his political agenda and most of his political ideology.
The Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka's surreal story probably has the greatest first line of any book ever, As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
And just like that you're into it.I generally dislike fiction, but this book was brilliant. It deals with important issues of independence, self-worth, the family, tolerance, and pleasure in ways that no book I know of has done.
This books is important to me because it is one of the few books of fiction that fully involves me emotionally. It does a better job of showing me the emotional trauma some people must go through far better than any book, movie, or article I've ever come across.
The Junior Encyclopedia of Canada
Encyclopedias are cool. So are Atlases and other reference books. The Junior Encyclopedia of Canada taught me this. It also taught me Canadian history and Canadian politics. That's why it is important.
Doctor Who Yearbook (1992)
Doctor Who is without question the greatest television show ever created. I picked up this yearbook when I was in the UK in early 1992 and for almost a decade it was my only Doctor Who reference book. In particular, it contains production notes for the classic first 26 seasons of the show. Every other book I own is in near mint condition. However, all but two pages of my Doctor Who yearbook have fallen out. That's how often I've referred to it.
Atlantis: The Eight Continent
The world is a weird and complex place. Much of what we understand to be the truth are probably misconceptions. This book is important because it taught me to be very skeptical about our current understanding of the world and of human history. It also taught me to be much more open-minded towards other understandings of the world. The Fabric of Reality has similar value to me.