Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (4 of 5 Missing Exclamation Points)

Is it hard to believe that I went through all of high school and nearly all of college and never had to read anything by Mr. Dickens? What is this world coming to? And come to think it, I've ever seen any movies based on his works either...strange, no?

Oh, wait, sorry, don't kidnap me and force me into a life of organized crime, but I didn't make an attempt at Tale of Two Cities shortly after returning from my mission three years ago. And by attempt I mean that I only got through the first hundred and fifty pages or so before getting antsy and moving on to something else. Oops. Sorry Charles.

I guess it is a little different though when you're reading a book for a class rather than on your own. Reading on my own, I feel less obligated to finish. If it's nothing something that interests me, I move on. If you stop reading in the class, you might get an F on your test or paper. Having a guided tour of the book does however have its benefits sometimes. I appreciated the classroom discussions that we had about Oliver. The professor provided historical context to the book that made sections of the story much more meaningful than they would have been if I was reading on my own. Discussing specific incidents with other minds helped to tease out subtle nuances in the book, which Dickens may or may not have intended to include...ah the beauty of English literature classes.

And in the end, I did enjoy the book. A little slow, yes. What do you expect from a book where the protagonist spends half of the book asleep? I found myself rooting for the bad guys a few times; is that wrong? A little more violent than I anticipated...at the very least I can now talk about Dickens at Victorian dinner parties!

The Snow Leopard - Peter Matthiessen (3.5 of 5 Wandering Blue Sheep)

This novel is the story of one man's journey into the Himalayas. What begins as a hunt for the illusive snow leopard, becomes a spiritual quest as the author leaves his urban environment and presses forward into the snow-capped mountains. When he reaches the peak of one of these mountains, he seeks refuge in a Buddhist monastery. There he experiences the beauty of simple living.

Now that I think of it, it's a lot like a Himalayan version of Walden Pond. In both, one man goes into the wilderness to escape urban drudgery. Thoreau builds a small cabin; Matthiessen stays in a palace. David writes about birds for fifty pages; Peter writes about blue sheep for fifty pages. Our hero of the lake uses his birds as a spring board into the depths of philosophy and Christian theology while our champion of the mountains uses the sheep as a ladder into the heavens of idealized Buddhism.

The language is beautiful, but the story drags a bit. Basically, if you liked Walden Pond, you'll probably dig The Snow Leopard.

What other books have you read that follow this structure?

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

Its interesting to read a book you've heard a lot about before you even crack the cover. You go into the whole experience with loads of expectations--be they good or bad--and those expectations are always hovering around as you read. Its unfortunate, but true. And my expectations had a major impact, I'm sure, in how I interpreted this much-talked-about memoir.

Jeannette Walls starts her story in the present-day--noting her embarrassment at looking out her car window and seeing her own homeless mother picking through the trash cans in New York. From there she jumps back in time and begins to take the reader through the chaotic and unbelievable world of her childhood. She grows up with two parents who live by the seat of their pants and seem to have no interest in being truly responsible. Whether its petting a cheetah, dashing out of town to avoid the law, or living in a ramshackle hut in West Virginia without any heating...the stories seem to grow more unbelievable chapter by chapter. But she survives--and obviously loves her parents--and you just keep reading desperately wanting to know how she escapes such a life to make herself a success.

Here's the truth: I wasn't as impressed as I'd expected I would be. However, it was still an interesting read. No matter how unbelievable the stories become, you do believe them because...well, because the author's voice is so incredibly straightforward you immediately trust her. There's no exaggeration or commenting on the seriousness of a situation. She simply tells it like it was--as crazy as the events often seem. Overall, an interesting read. I just wish I hadn't gone into it with such high expectations.

B-

King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard (3.5 of 5 Lost Civilizations)

So...it looks like my last review was posted on September 28, 2009. That's pretty sad. This isn't for lack of reading though. I read about 30-35 books this semester. I just haven't had time to write up the reviews. But, now that finals are over, I hope to share many of these books with you.

King Solomon's Mines was published in 1885. It was one of the first "Lost World" adventure novels. It follows three white men in their exploration of the interior of Africa. Along the way they meet a noble native who serves as their guide. When they reach the lost civilization they are perceived as God's coming down from heaven. Life is all fine and dandy until their story begins to unravel.

The book is somewhat entertaining, but there isn't a lot of depth to the story. This novel is well-known for its historical rather than literary significance. Everything is pretty typical for its genre: a few unsurprising plot twists, a few epic battles, a rather shallow love story, lost treasure, and one crazy old woman. If you're looking for a quick and fluffy adventure story from the 19th century, this is the book for you.

The Man Who Would Be King - Rudyard Kipling (4 of 5 Disguised Priests)

A newspaper journalist sits in his office on a muggy summer night in India counting down the minutes before he can close up the office and go home. There is a knock in the door. He debates whether or not to answer it. There is another knock and he struggles to get up from his table. When he arrives at the entrance he finds two wanders, Dravot and Peachy who immediately disclose to him their plans to become kings of a remote region of Afghanistan.

The book is a quick read. I've seen it in book form with large type as well as a short story of about 30-40 pages. It moves quickly, sports some memorable characters and brings up some interesting issues about exploration and colonization.

I've been told there was a movie made from the book, which stars Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Imdb says that it was nominated for 4 Academy awards - sounds like it did well. Has anyone seen it?

The Bottom Billion - Paul Collier (4 of 5 Templates for Recovery)

Paul Collier published The Bottom Billion in 2007 as an attempt to raise awareness regarding the one billion people living in poverty. Many of those suffering are currently living in failed states, most of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the first half of his book, Collier outlines the causes of this poverty and in the second half describes what can be done about it. He is a firm believer that reviving a failed state requires the support of the local government and citizens, though policy changes by the developed nations around the globe can make this transition easier.

The four traps that plague the bottom billion are military conflict, abundant natural resources, being landlocked with bad neighbors and corrupt governance. Not all failed states experience all four traps. Some failed states are afflicted by one. The probability of failure however, increases as each trap is added. These traps do not operate independently. Corrupt government for example often leads to civil war.

Approximately 73% of the bottom billion have recently been through a civil war or are still in one. Civil war destroys the economy, drains national resources, and kills the workforce. Investors are wary of pumping resources into nations when conditions are unstable. Abundant natural resources such as oil distract small governments from developing their economies. They believe that they can subsist wholly on one export. Much of the revenue from exports is pocketed by corrupt leaders, leaving citizens to suffer. Have access to seaports also causes problems. Being landlocked means that a country has to depend on the infrastructure of its neighbors. If those neighbors are engaged in civil war, exporting can be anywhere from difficult to impossible.

Collier is quite convinced that developed nations should not be content to let the bottom billion suffer. In his book he outlines several reasons why developed nations should help to pull these nations out of chaos. According to his calculations, the cost of a failed state from meltdown to recovery is approximately $100 billion. Costs are allocated to the country itself, its neighbors and the global marketplace. Preventing a state from falling apart or helping it to recover more quickly can reduce these costs.

While a state is in ruins, its conditions can spill over into other nations in the forms of epidemics, terrorism and drugs. He cites Somalia as an example of how these effects can be felt around the world. Somalia was one of the last states affected by small pox. The disease was eliminated shortly before the Somalia meltdown. Collier believes that if the meltdown had occurred any earlier, small pox might have made a turnaround. Global transportation makes the possibility of the outbreak of such diseases much more likely. Civil war also leads to the spread of disease. In times of conflict, occurrences of rape skyrocket. STDs such as HIV/AIDS, syphilis and other deadly diseases spread like wildfire. Such outbreaks often jump borders affecting other failed states as well as developed nations.

Many young men have fled Somalia for developed nations. Once there, they have found themselves unable to integrate into the local culture and economy and have become frustrated. During 2005 alone, young men from Somalia were responsible for both attempting to blow up a commuter train and murdering a policewoman in a bank robbery in London. Collier supports President Bush’s claim that neglecting the war against terrorism abroad, means dealing with it at home.

Failed states often do not have a functioning police force or economy. A failing economy leads to high levels of unemployment. As members of the bottom billion become more desperate they turn to illegal means of generating income. Without a functioning police force in these failed states, the production of illegal drugs increases. Because few people within the state have money to purchase the drugs, many are exported to developing nations.

Contrary to the belief of Zambisa Moyo, Collier believes that aid has produced positive effects in failed states. Aid from developed nations has been the difference between stagnation and severe cumulative decline. Aid has meant an average increase in GDP of 1%. This has offset the average decrease in GDP of failed states of -1%. On a more personal level aid has meant the difference between life and death to millions of suffering people. He warns however, that the efficiency of aid can be increased significantly. Tight control of resources can prevent corrupt governments from redirecting aid away from the people. Clear benchmarks for contract renewal can be instituted to give governments direction on how to allocate resources. Positive growth can help to counteract the frustration that produces conflict. Controlling the revenue streams more closely would also dissuade potential coups that seek to take control of foreign aid.