Recent Readings

I’ve been in an odd reading situation recently: picking up books depending on my mood and rotating through a number of titles at once. At one point I had a stack of seven different books I was well into, but I’ve hit a new phase where I’m finishing titles in bunches.

Last night I completed Fences and Windows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate by Naomi Klein, she of No Logo fame. The main reason I picked this up was because No Logo was checked out of the library. This book is a collection of articles and speeches she has written over the past few years while attending demonstrations and conferences.

Unfortunately, for someone like me who lacks the background knowledge for many of the issues raised, this isn’t the book to jump into. Since the material is necessarily short, I found most of the entries lacked a lot in terms of depth. It’s one thing to frequently mention the evil and unsuccessful projects of the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, but without providing concrete examples it just doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s not Klein’s fault I’m not up to speed on all this, although it probably means that stumbling across one of these articles in the newspaper is just as ineffective for the general reader base.

The movement she describes still comes off as hollow, despite the attempts made to characterize the lack of central organization as one of the reasons why it cannot be contained by those who fear it. I’m all for responsible globalization, like those branded as “activities”, but that’s just from a practical point of view. But here it seems like so much unfounded, hopeful optimism. Just what are the alternatives that will be so much better and sustainable than the current greed-driven markets? How will they be implemented? Where’s the criticism of those who do use demonstrations as an excuse to stir up confrontations with police, or who go looking for excitement and a good time in the middle of a mob. It seems very one-sided to paint each conflict as resulting from overeager police in riot gear just looking for an excuse to crack some skulls (not that we’re lacking such officers, I’m just saying the blame probably doesn’t always fall on them).

It’s worth mentioning that I really liked the section “Capitalizing on Terror”. There’s no shortage of examples of how the threat of terrorism has been exploited over the past few years, but Klein raises some interesting issues in the months shortly after 9/11. This is the kind of critical analysis that was so frowned upon in the emotional aftermath which probably would have been vilified if presented through American media.

In the end, I wasn’t all that impressed with the book. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to getting my hands on No Logo, and learning more about the IMF and World Bank controversies.

Turning to some fiction, I breezed through Douglas Coupland’s Hey Nostradamus!. I’m definitely a big fan of Coupland’s ability to nail the mood of the bitter and cynical generations, and weave in the wisdom of pop culture references that are part of many an outlook on the world. I’m a little young to have really appreciated Generation X when I read it last year – I’m already bitter and cynical so the observations in that book weren’t such an eye-opening epiphany as they apparently were when it was released. Microserfs, on the other hand, still felt very relevant in its take on trying to find some meaning in the fast-paced, profit-driven, what-is-the-point corporate environment.

Hey Nostradamus! is quite a different story than what I was expecting, but still very engrossing. It begins with a Columbine-like massacre, but instead of taking the route of a glib analysis of such tragic events and the surrounding issues, it’s really only the catalyst for the rest of the story. The dark humor and pop culture references are still there, but it’s a story about different people trying to find love in the complexities and isolation of their lives. I really enjoyed it.

After getting through 3/4 of The Hostile Hospital, I realized it was due at the library the next day! My attempt to renew it online was foiled by a hold having already been placed on the book. I was able to place my own hold on another copy and in short order I was able to finish off the eighth book in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

It’s fair to wonder if this children’s series just keeps doling out repetitive tales, but there’s plenty to keep me interested thus far. There is an overall mystery (or two, or three!) arc that has developed by this point, not only in the children’s tale but also with the (interlinked?) woes of the fictional author. When I saw the movie recently, it gave away much more of the background than what you’re lead to believe in the first three volumes, so much so that I wondered if certain elements had been spoiled for me! I guess as I get to the last of the 11 volumes (so far), I’ll found out how true that is.

These stories continue to be entertaining, with a number of instances only an older reader could appreciate, and of course there’s an odd sense of humor to be found. For example:

“I just don’t understand it,” said Klaus, which was not something he said very often.

Violet nodded in agreement, and then said something she didn’t say very frequently either. “It’s a puzzle I’m not sure we can solve.”

“Pietrisycamollaviadelrechiotemexity,” Sunny said, which was something she had only said once before. It meant something along the lines of “I must admit I don’t have the faintest idea of what is going on,” and the first time the youngest Baudelaire had said it, she had just been brought home from the hospital where she was born, and was looking at her siblings as they leaned over her crib to greet her.

I’m currently reading the next volume, The Carnivorous Carnival, as well as four other books beckoning with bookmarks in various locations. And that’s just my leisure reading … I have some great textbooks and books on statistical software that are also occupying my time.