Another author from B.C. writing about life in the backwoods years ago. Very dense, heavy storyline. He is basically contrasting two different ways of being in the world - good people whose present is shaped by, twisted by, traumatic experiences from the past (in this case, mostly war, though there is also a young native girl who has experienced the religious residential school system, and basically kidnapping by nuns. Then there is the family, homesteaders, who live wholly in the present - and who are seen as a bit simple by many of the townspeople.
A dense read - some of the description, some of the dialogue, some of the events. But very good.
Thursday 27 September 2018
La piramide di fango - Andrea Camilleri
Un altro buon libro da Andrea Camilleri. In questo libro, mangia un po' meno spesso in ristoranti. Questo libro si tratta della Mafia in Sicilia.
Sunday 23 September 2018
Black Dogs - Ian McEwan
A reread of the first book I read that turned me on to McEwan. Still a great read.
McEwan does a brilliant job of taking an idea or conflict of ideas and giving it flesh in terms of real characters with real lives. This book is actually a political allegory, though I see it more clearly this time than I did years ago. The essential conflict of ideas at the heart of the book is between rationality or reason, and spiritual or religious ways of being in the world. Interestingly enough, at the end of the book, when June confronts the black dogs of the title, it is this spiritual/religious way of being that chases them away. At the time of the attack, rationalism is busy studying caterpillars... The author makes it very clear at the end, that the black dogs (left behind by nazis after the war) are a symbol of fascism and all it entails. Bernard's career, first as a member of the Communist party, and then as a Liberal MP, gets short shrift in terms of significance or value.
An author you can reread for sure.
McEwan does a brilliant job of taking an idea or conflict of ideas and giving it flesh in terms of real characters with real lives. This book is actually a political allegory, though I see it more clearly this time than I did years ago. The essential conflict of ideas at the heart of the book is between rationality or reason, and spiritual or religious ways of being in the world. Interestingly enough, at the end of the book, when June confronts the black dogs of the title, it is this spiritual/religious way of being that chases them away. At the time of the attack, rationalism is busy studying caterpillars... The author makes it very clear at the end, that the black dogs (left behind by nazis after the war) are a symbol of fascism and all it entails. Bernard's career, first as a member of the Communist party, and then as a Liberal MP, gets short shrift in terms of significance or value.
An author you can reread for sure.
Flawed Capitalism - David Coates
Subtitled: The Anglo-American Condition and its Resolution
An in depth analysis of the current capitalist model pursued in these two countries. He begins with an historical overview covering the evolution of the capitalist model/social contract in these two countries basically since WW1. He spends a lot of time on statistics and research that shows the slow economic decline of both of these countries, and does a good job of laying it out.
The ideas that stood out for me are:
1) Lack of demand as one of the most significant factors in slowing economic growth and activity
2) Failure of large parts of the public's salaries to grow in any real sense depresses demand (see above!)
3) The downward pressure on salaries comes primarily from a strong shift in power relationships between capital/owners and workers, largely through the elimination and suppression of unions and union jobs, which has significantly shifted the balance of power to capital/owners. They use this power to suppress wages.
4) This decline in demand is tied to the lack of growth in productivity which is negatively affecting American and especially British industries when compared to other countries.
5) In both England and the U.S., there has been a strong shift towards dependency on finance sectors to boost GDP etc. This shift has been actively pursued through government policy, at the expense of investment and support for more productive economic activity, and for modernization of production.
6) One of the biggest weaknesses in trickle down economic theory is that rich people just can't spend as much money and create as much demand as a well-payed large middle-class, or a decently payed majority of the population. This inevitably leads to economic slowdown and social failure.
At the end of the book there is a section of what to do about all of this, but the author recognizes there is a long way to go to shift the ideology and policy of ruling elites. Cautious optimism perhaps....
An in depth analysis of the current capitalist model pursued in these two countries. He begins with an historical overview covering the evolution of the capitalist model/social contract in these two countries basically since WW1. He spends a lot of time on statistics and research that shows the slow economic decline of both of these countries, and does a good job of laying it out.
The ideas that stood out for me are:
1) Lack of demand as one of the most significant factors in slowing economic growth and activity
2) Failure of large parts of the public's salaries to grow in any real sense depresses demand (see above!)
3) The downward pressure on salaries comes primarily from a strong shift in power relationships between capital/owners and workers, largely through the elimination and suppression of unions and union jobs, which has significantly shifted the balance of power to capital/owners. They use this power to suppress wages.
4) This decline in demand is tied to the lack of growth in productivity which is negatively affecting American and especially British industries when compared to other countries.
5) In both England and the U.S., there has been a strong shift towards dependency on finance sectors to boost GDP etc. This shift has been actively pursued through government policy, at the expense of investment and support for more productive economic activity, and for modernization of production.
6) One of the biggest weaknesses in trickle down economic theory is that rich people just can't spend as much money and create as much demand as a well-payed large middle-class, or a decently payed majority of the population. This inevitably leads to economic slowdown and social failure.
At the end of the book there is a section of what to do about all of this, but the author recognizes there is a long way to go to shift the ideology and policy of ruling elites. Cautious optimism perhaps....
Friday 7 September 2018
The Inconvenient Indian - Thomas King
A harsh but clear-eyed story of native-white relations in North America since the beginning. He clearly outlines the constants in the relationship, and the barely masked goals that continue to underly political and social policy in relation to native groups in both Canada and the U.S. While he is mostly focused and events and perspectives of natives, he at the same time paints a picture of our greedy, self-centred, feckless, amoral anglo-american culture.
The whole thing is still told in King's ironic, humorous, jokey voice.
Worth a reread, as there is a lot to absorb.
The whole thing is still told in King's ironic, humorous, jokey voice.
Worth a reread, as there is a lot to absorb.
Armadillo - William Boyd
A humorous story of a protagonist desperate to remove himself from his gypsy origins by fitting in and being rich and successful. His plans are waylaid by various disasters - caught up unwittingly in a corporate insurance scandal, harassed and beaten by angry clients, mistaken identity, frustrated in love...
Some sharp satire in the cast of side characters...
Some sharp satire in the cast of side characters...
Faceless Killers - Henning Mankell
A good mystery with a surprise ending. Explores the issue of immigrants in Sweden and some of the right-wing groups opposing immigration.
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