Reading anything?

[Mofo Rising]

I've heard of Zinn, he is typical of the Marxist/leftist professors that crowded the halls of academia in the 1970's thru the 1990's - guys who stayed in college and got their advanced degrees so they could get deferments and avoid Vietnam, and spent their careers bashing the country that enabled them to live better than 90% of the world, while praising governments that routinely executed intellectuals like themselves.  Not that America is flawless, but academics like Zinn should have been deported en masse to the Soviet Union before they could corrupt an entire generation of American youth!

While I'm not defending Zinn's book, I think it should be mentioned that Howard Zinn did serve in the Air Force during WWII, something he volunteered for as a young man, eager to join the fight against facism. He was a bombardier in the 490th Bombardment Group. He only went on to his higher education after he had served his time in WWII. In this case, Zinn does not fall under the stereotype of the "draft-dodging leftist professor."

As for A People's History, I finally finished it, annoyed as I was with it. When Zinn focuses on the dispossessed and voiceless, his book manages to achieve some level of historical importance. Unfortunately Zinn is very clearly in the pro-Socialist camp, and views the entirety of history through the eyes of dissent. Don't get me wrong, I view dissent in the highest light. It's important. But Zinn's approaches dissent through his Socialist filter and gives an inordinate amount of "screen-time" to those who share his view.

I'm not attacking socialism here, especially not in the way it has become a political epithet recently. But Zinn's book clearly has an agenda, and it corrupts what otherwise could have been an important and valuable book about the under-represented parts of American history. I'm still waiting for a book that truly is a people's history, and not just another mouthpiece for a political point of view.

There's a lot I don't like about American foreign policy and the ridiculous fervor for ultra-capitalism that seems to have gripped our nation. But don't tell me you're standing up against tyranny and then gloss over the atrocities done by socialist/communist nations (Cuba, China) because they sort-of agree with your economics.

[JaseSF]

Armchair Reader: Vitally Useless Information: A Incredible Collection of Irrelevance.

Yeah kind of pointless stuff but still oddly fascinating in parts.

[InformationGeek]

Finally got my issues I preordered for the DC 52 Relaunch, so I've been reading the following:

Swamp Thing #1: If you are even a little bit of a fan of this character, then seek this comic out admittedly.  Heck, check it out even if you are not one.  Probably one of the best new comics to out recently.  Just fantastic.

Batman #1: Same author as Swamp Thing and same thing with what I said.  Any comic book reader should be reading this.

Batgirl #1: Great story, but it will put off older readers if they are too attached to Barbara as Oracle.

[BTM]

I just got done reading Ghost Story, the latest Dresden novel by Jim Butcher.

A few months before that I read Ex-Kop by Warren Hommand.  It's a pretty good sci-fi/noir novel.

http://www.amazon.com/Ex-KOP-Warren-Hammond/dp/B003D7JV1Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316928143&sr=8-1

[FatFreddysCat]

Borrowed "Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica" by British rock journalist Mick Wall from the library a couple of days ago. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it and I'm enjoying it immensely.

[lester1/2jr]

resumed "The Vampire Economy" it's too bad it's a dry econ heavy analysis because it's message is really interesting.

It's about the Nazi's economic policies. They were not very different from the commies that Hitler so disdained and certainly didn't do much to uplift the people of Germany. It says alot about the nazi ideology that the state was so powerful and led to higher prices, lower quality and engaged in so many abhorrent practices.

[AndyC]

Finished Doomsday Men. It got even more interesting as it progressed through the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, and continued to illustrate the effect of nuclear weapons on fiction and popular culture, as well as the influence of science fiction on the real scientists. Goethe's Faust and The World Set Free by H.G. Wells are of particular significance. A good analysis of the growing link between scientists and the military, and the radically different approach to war that came as a result of the large-scale technological warfare of the 20th century. Quite a bit on the creation of Dr. Strangelove, and an interesting analysis of the character as compared to the most probable influences - Edward Teller, Wernher Von Braun, Herman Kahn, John Von Neumann, etc. Very good book.

[InformationGeek]

My manga library raiding continues and now I'm reading:

20th Century Boys
Kekkaishi
Black Cat
Hikaru No Go
One Piece
Vampire Knight
Last Vampire
Fullmetal Alchemist

[BoyScoutKevin]

Ye-es!

Joss Whedon's "Buffy: the Vampire Slayer" Tales. A graphic series of tales. Though the best tales are not by Whedon. Nor do the best tales feature any of the characters from the TV series. Nor are the best tales the vampire tales. The best tale is a non-Whedon slayer tale, occuring in a time before the TV series, but it does have a double twist in it.

Laurell K. Hamilton's "Circus of the Damned" in graphic format. Or the third in the Anita Blake series. So far, only volume 1.

Also Laurell K. Hamilton's "Skin Trade" in paperback. The 17th in the Anita Blake series.
If you can get past the sex scenes, there are a number of reasons to read it.

(1) From the 14-year-old weretiger she accidentally sleeps with to the centuries old vampire she deliberately sleeps with, Hamilton understands men better than most female authors.

(2) Heck! From those who walk the lawful side of the street to those who walk the lawless side of the street to those who walk both sides of the street, she understands men better than most male authors.

(3) Individualized characters. Every character in the book stands out from all other characters.

(4) Unlike some writers, she can create real hardcases. The type if they really existed, would make you sweat as soon as their name were mentioned.

(5) While somewhat rushed, a nice suspenseful climax.

(6) And it doesn't hurt that one of the heroes is a person of your own religious faith.

Next time: Ward's Berlitz's . . . the 2004 edition.

And the time after that: Something from King.

[Rev. Powell]

[The Gravekeeper]

Reading a ton of stuff for research purposes. I've got a big paper coming up, two presentations this month, and I have to constantly be on the lookout for material to illustrate by midnight every Friday.

At the moment, I've got bookmarks in:

The Best of American Comics Criticism

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer

Happily Ever After (anthology)

Maus

Urban Fantasy (anthology)

The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities

Cult Cinema (Ernest Mathius and Jamie Sexton)

Horror (Brigid Cherry)

And that's not even getting started on scientific literature and world mythologies. If you guys could send any great short (better yet, micro) stories my way, it'd be very much appreciated.

[AndyC]

Reading The World Set Free, by H.G. Wells. It was one of the works heavily cited in Doomsday Men, and it is very interesting. Published in serial form in 1914, before the outbreak of WW1, this story deals with the discovery of nuclear power and its possible financial, social and political implications. In the middle section, Wells describes a war with aerial combat and atomic bombs. His idea of an atomic bomb is interesting, with a large chunk of radioactive material that is kicked into an accelerated decay that doesn't stop until the fuel is exausted. Bright light, lots of heat and wind, just like nukes as we know them, but Wells' nukes keep on "exploding" for weeks, months or even years. They become something like a meltdown, sinking into the ground to create a molten pit that continues to belch fire, brimstone and radiation. Very interesting.

[ER]

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

[Zapranoth]

Just finished reading a large heap of Green Lantern comics, ROM the Space Knight, a heap of Hulk comics, and now am happily reading my way through the Chris Claremont days of X-Men. 

I also am partway through _A Dance With Dragons_ but I sorta petered out and need to re-boot my reading efforts.  Kinda hard to get too stoked up when i know it'll be YEARS before the next comes out.

[RCMerchant]

Just finished HIROSHIMA by John Hersey.
Now re-reading BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE by Dee Brown.