Review: Goyhood

Goyhood by Reuven Fenton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A really interesting read. Two estranged twin brothers reconnect with each other -- and with themselves over grief, loneliness, and having their worlds flipped upside down. It is funny, poignant, and, at times, outlandish.

Mayer could be a bit of dolt at times; his attitude about certain things could be frustrating, even disturbing. But he's also ignorant of the world outside of his community and in that way has a child-like innocence. David could be a bit of a caricature, but becomes more interesting as the book goes on. Charlayne is a well-developed character that really helps to humanize the boys; and can't leave out Popeye!





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Review: To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People

To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People by Noah Feldman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book starts with the question “What’s the point of being a Jew?” The book is not really an attempt to answer that specifically; instead it focuses more on trying to make sense of being a Jew; especially today. In particular, as the first line of the last chapter asks, “Is there a way to be Jewish today that brings together God, Israel, and Jewish peoplehood and that is available to Jews with very different conceptions of all three?” It’s an intriguing question and Feldman doesn’t really offer a straightforward answer – and is unapologetic about that. There isn’t and really couldn’t be a straightforward answer here.

In the end, the answer is more or less that part of the essence of being Jewish involves struggle (as is rooted in the biblical renaming of Jacob to Israel). The struggles are multivariant: struggle with God, with one’s self, with other Jews, with non-Jews, etc. Being Jewish is being part of a family-kin group that debates, conflicts, struggles, redefines, and challenges itself (and God, and Torah, and its sense of self and place in the world).

As a whole the book is really interesting. Feldman casts a wide sociological net to explore the ways Jews understand themselves, and does so under three main headings: the relationship and understanding (and sometimes rejection) of God; the relationship and understanding (and sometimes rejection) of Israel, and the sense of what it is to be the Jewish People. Part of Feldman’s argument, as I understood it, is that there is no single vision or conception in any of these areas that all Jews hold – but there is connection running through all these that in part links together Jews as Jews.

I didn’t always agree with Feldman’s takes (which of course fits with the book’s theme) and though he takes a wide view, it did feel like Mizrahi and Sephardi Jewish traditions were somewhat secondary: not absent or denigrated, but not every really in focus. Nevertheless, I think it is interesting read and worthwhile to get a good sense of what Jewish life today is.


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Review: Knight's Shadow

Knight's Shadow by Sebastien de Castell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series is great; so original. A dark, corrupt world with noble characters fighting for justice, love, and hope. The story is well-told, exciting and gripping. Lots of twists and turns and surprises. Maybe a bit longer than it needed to be, but when you love the characters it's hard to complain about that!

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Review: A Glorious Liberty: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Antislavery Constitution

A Glorious Liberty: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Antislavery Constitution by Damon Root
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Douglass was a great American -- in every way imaginable. His life and work should be even more the focus of attention than they are. Root's short book focuses on Douglass and his work to end slavery and persecution. Root tells the story of Douglass's development from a William Lloyd Garrison follower who thought the US Constitution supported slavery and thus had to be rejected to Douglass's break with Garrison. Douglass comes to see the Constitution as thoroughly antislavery and that if properly understood and enforced would mean the end of slavery. The book follows Douglass's efforts after the Civil War to work towards securing the civil rights of Blacks only to be thoroughly and disgracefully disappointed by the Supreme Court's gutting of the true meaning of the civil war amendments. As he later remarked, there would be no more 'race problem' if only the Courts had enforced the law.

Douglass's intelligence, power of persuasion, and moral courage should be a guiding light for all Americans. Root's concise book does a great job display all three of these.

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Review: The Ink Black Heart

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love this series. The characters and plotting are great. Rowling keeps you guessing about whodunnit. Cormoran and Robin are a great duo -- though they are skating into 'Sam and Diane' territory. I agree with many critics of this particular book, it was probably longer than it needed to be -- but I love the characters and the story telling so much, I didn't care. Robert Glenister is a master narrator, he really brings the characters alive and captures the subtle nuances of accents, ages, and state of mind.

The story here revolves around an online game and twitter; Rowling does a great job of capture both the ways in which the online world connects people but also the real dangers and pitfalls of these online connections. She does a great job of capture the troll-ness of twitter and social media -- much of which Rowling herself has direct experience with.

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Review: Darker Than Amber

Darker Than Amber by John D. MacDonald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Always fun, though dated in many ways. This novel is more noir than previous books in the series; the title clues us into this being darker. I like how Meyer plays a bigger side kick role here.

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Review: A Dangerous Man

A Dangerous Man by Robert Crais
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved it; though it does seem to be that this series is more and more Joe Pike and Elvis Cole, rather than Cole and Pike. Cole is more or less along for the ride at this point. But I still love it.

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Review: Early Modern Philosophy: Descartes and the Rationalists

Early Modern Philosophy: Descartes and the Rationalists by James D. Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This course is a very good introduction and overview of the rationalist tradition in early modern philosophy. The lecturer finds the right balance of explaining the ideas, providing the historical and philosophical context, and making it relevant. As a general level course, subject matter experts won't get too much out of this, but those new to early modern philosophy or looking for a refresher (like me) will find it useful.

The course covers, as one would expect, Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz; but also Anne Conway, Elisabeth of Bohemia, and Malebranche. Typically, the focus in early modern philosophy texts is on metaphysics and epistemology, but I appreciated that Reid includes these thinker's moral theories as well. They were not just interested in knowledge -- they were also interested how this knowledge can and should effect the way act and live.

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Review: A Closed and Common Orbit

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this, more than the first book in this series. The first book was good, but had some issues that the second book doesn't have. The plotting was much tighter, the character development and character connection better as well. I really enjoyed the way the story was told and how it came together.

Without being didactic, it is an interesting exploration of the ethics and rights of AI; but also touches on deeper existential issues of the purpose of our lives.

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Review: The Ancient Olympics

The Ancient Olympics by Nigel Spivey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A solid and interesting look at the ancient Olympics. Well-researched with attention to primary sources. I learned a lot but think the organization and structure could have been better, or clearer. It wasn't obvious to me why this or that chapter or section was where it was and how it fit into a whole. It could be a good supplement for a course on the Olympics--though I am not sure it would be a could primary text. (It's not long or dense but took me a while to get through for reasons unrelated to the book itself)

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Review: The Drop

The Drop by Michael Connelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Harry has to solve two mysteries all while dealing with what he calls "high jingo." I love how Harry's relationship with his daughter is deepening; it humanizes him. He can be such an ass to everyone else but his relationship with Maddie reminds us of who Harry is and why he does what he does.

Some of the details of the cold case are harrowing and disturbing -- it's hard to fathom such evil.

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Review: On Being Jewish Now: Essays and Reflections from Authors and Advocates

On Being Jewish Now: Essays and Reflections from Authors and Advocates by Zibby Owens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting collection of short essays and reflections by a wide range of authors (75 of them). They range in length, quality, and focus. Many of the contributors are authors themselves, others involved in the writing business in some other way. I definitely put several new books on my wish list after reading the essays. Though I'd guess the majority of the contributors of American Jews from more liberal/reform traditions, there are several that don't fit that mold: religious Jews, Jews of color, Israelis, and so on. The essays are short, they can be read in any order and at any time.

I only gave this 4 instead 5 stars because I think I was expecting something a bit more intellectual, a bit more pensive and philosophical about what it means to be Jewish today. Mostly, though, these are more personal reflections on how October 7 and the rise of antisemitism affected the authors. There are a few that are broader than that, but for the most part these are two or three pages about the personal impact of that awful day. This is important and interesting; but I was hoping for something with a bit more intellectual bite. Nevertheless, Zibby Owens has put together an impressive collection here that is worth reading.


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Review: Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources

Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources by Stephen G. Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an impressive collection of sources from a range of writers from the ancient world. These selections are from poets, politicians, philosophers, as well as plaques, stone inscriptions, and vase paintings. They all connect in different ways to ancient Greek sport. Many are about the Olympics, but it is far broader including a variety of ancient competitions as well as physical education and exercises more generally.

This is not a book to be read as such; it is a useful handbook to find ancient quotations about sport. I found it quite useful for finding sources for my classes -- but it is not something a causal reader would find helpful. I would have liked more introduction to, context for, or interpretation of the quotations. But the author quite consciously is putting this together to be used along side a text that would provide such explanations.



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Review: Road Kill

Road Kill by Zoë Sharp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I like Charlie; she is an interesting character with lots of growth potential. But I had trouble getting into this. Partly, I am not a motorcycle guy and so that part of the story was not interesting. And there was a lot of that! But much more than the motorcycles, the story just took far too long to develop. The first 200, 300 pages meandered and dithered far too much. The last 100 pages or so got interesting as the plot became clearer. That redeems the book, but I am not sure how quickly I'll be to pick up the next book in the series.

The relationship between Sean and Charlie develops a bit here, which is good. And Sean is a good character, but the relationship sometimes takes up too much space for me.

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Review: Great Minds of the Medieval World

Great Minds of the Medieval World by Dorsey Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wide-ranging, overview of key thinkers of the medieval period. Armstrong's lectures cover thinkers from Augustine up through figures like Petrarch, Medici, and Mallory. She covers Christian, Jewish, and Islamic thinkers; and also includes three female thinkers. The focus is mostly philosophers and theologians, but there are poets, writers, political figures, and she closes with William Caxton, the first English printer.

All in all, a useful introduction and overview of the key ideas and thinkers ranging over more than 1000 years. This is intellectual history, so there is not much in the way of in-depth discussions of the arguments and explications of the ideas. Armstrong is providing the intellectual and historical context for these thinkers and summary of their ideas and influence.

Armstrong's delivery is clear, enjoyable, and interesting.

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