Sober Curious was written by Ruby Warrington, a successful magazine editor from London, about her intriguing approach to sobriety which focuses on culSober Curious was written by Ruby Warrington, a successful magazine editor from London, about her intriguing approach to sobriety which focuses on cultivating a sense of curiosity about the costs of habitual drinking, the benefits of sobriety, the pervasive social conditioning around alcohol, and, ultimately, whether drinking alcohol serves any real beneficial function. In it, Warrington shares her "boozestory," her comments on alcohol's role in society, her thoughts on dating and relationships under the influence, her political orientation and thoughts on the alcohol industry, and much more. I have personally been exploring the idea of sobriety more over time, and I found her book useful in giving me a picture, a positive image, of the kind of world that could be waiting for me post-alcohol.
The benefit of her Sober Curious approach is that it invites the reader to inquire internally about "What would life be like without alcohol?" in a way that doesn't demand spiritual rebirth and total abstinence (12 Step) and doesn't try to engage in the reader in CBT practices about their behavior (Carr), but rather presents a relatable and personal account of a woman who suspects this poison she's drinking every night might actually be a problem worth addressing. This is a valuable addition to sober therapy because it humanizes and de-otherizes "the problem drinker" and her pointed social criticisms and emotional openness encourage the reader to reflect on their own behavior and to ask the same question: "Would life be better without alcohol?" In this sense, it is much like Grace's "This Naked Mind" and helps lubricate the shift in thinking around alcohol to support clarity and control.
That said, however, I found much that I did not like in Sober Curious. Despite Warrington's time working in print media, I found the book poorly written and poorly edited. Grammatical and syntactical errors abound throughout the book. Warrington "writes like she speaks" and, while there may be some charm to this (if you can speak eloquently), it undermines her message by making her seem sophomoric and casual. Unable not only to form complete sentences (the book is filled with dependent clauses and. Even. Single. Words. acting as sentences), she commonly writes as if she is chatting on social media with her use of hashtags (#LifeGoals, #Wellness, etc.) in the middle of a sentence that is, for instance, intending to address the important issue of cognitive dissonance or inadvertent self-sabotage.
Beyond the frustrating errors in syntax and writing style, Warrington is as New Age as they come (having previously written a book on her esoteric spiritual practices) and frequently quotes "experts" (with the exception of neuroscientist Marc Lewis, whom she quotes repeatedly, they are all yoga teachers, spiritual healers, wellness experts like her, and even a Voodoo priestess), in service of her claim that addiction is a spiritual disease and that the proper response to overcoming alcohol craving is to reconnect with the Divine, work on manifesting your #BestSelf, go within yourself and heal your repressed trauma, and other nonsense New Age-related psycho babble. Unfortunately, she doesn't limit this fantasy world to the chapter labeled "Spirits and Spirituality," but rather suffuses it throughout the book in her annoying airhead "High Vibe" vocabulary, and, y'know, style.
Finally, in accordance with her #Woke smug self-righteouness and faux-deep thinker status, she manages to condemn Capitalism on numerous occasions for unexamined problem drinking, crass alcohol marketing, poor self-esteem (that leads to drinking), and other "root" causes of our debauched, drunk society. While I am, of course, in agreement about the direct role advertising plays in the conditioning process, her attacks on "the capitalist system" feel very much out of left field and inappropriate in what is essentially an autobiographical work of an ex-drinker; they were, however, par for the course if one is looking to signal an un-self-aware progressive ideology wherever possible.
This book is, in my estimation, roughly 40% boozestory, 25% "Now Age" spiritual hokum, 25% invitation to genuine personal inquiry, and 10% rage against the #Machine. Reader beware....more
Captains of the Sands is the 6th and final piece of Jorge Amado's set of "Bahian novels" - a collection of semi-fictional writings he made chroniclingCaptains of the Sands is the 6th and final piece of Jorge Amado's set of "Bahian novels" - a collection of semi-fictional writings he made chronicling the attitudes and lifestyles of the people living in Bahia, a poor/agricultural Brasilian state, in the 1930s. This story follows a clan of homeless children and teenagers, led by Pedro Bala ("Bullet") and other older children (with names like Professor, Outrigger, Good-Life, Dry Gulch, Big John, etc.) in the capital of Bahia (also called Bahia) as they scrounge, beg, rob, swindle, and commit other crimes and near-crimes in order to survive. This group, known as the Captains of the Sands, who sleep in a dilapidated beachfront warehouse, are publicly reviled and feared by most upstanding and wealthy citizens, but earn a certain amount of respect from local drifters, grifters, sailors, musicians, and other working class people.
The story follows their antics mostly in a "day in the life" style, however, through continual character development, eventually winds itself into becoming a bit of a political polemic, as the social realities and class frictions become more manifest. In a surprising twist, the novel ends giving an account of the fate of each major gang member as the story progresses forward in years and as they grow too old to stay with the group (one becomes a backlands bandit, another a suave conman, another a priest, another a painter, etc.). Including elements of youthful romance, teen bitterness at an unfair world, rationalizations for the criminal life, African religious themes, wide-ranging social commentary, and the hierarchical violence of a poor gang, Captains of the Sands presents a rich slice of Brasilian history and culture, a touching account of children without childhood, and an empathic view of the plight of exploited working class people....more
Told through transcribed interviews from all manner of survivors, World War Z is an account of humanity's response to the apocalyptic emergence of zomTold through transcribed interviews from all manner of survivors, World War Z is an account of humanity's response to the apocalyptic emergence of zombies in the early 21st century. Originating presumably in China, the zombie outbreak quickly spreads over the entire planet, ravaging nations, destroying society, killing untold billions, and threatening the human race itself. As humanity learns - not only that this threat is real, and not fiction, but of how they came to be, how they migrate, and how they can be killed - pockets of effective resistance and survival grow until human civilization begins to reclaim land and reassert itself from the zombie occupation. A thrilling read, extremely realistic and gripping, horrifying, and often disgusting, World War Z is a must-read for anyone interested in zombie fiction, wilderness survival, or the quintessential "scary campfire story."...more
Unschooling is a radical variant of homeschooling where child-directed passions and projects are emphasized over curriculum and Radical Unschooling isUnschooling is a radical variant of homeschooling where child-directed passions and projects are emphasized over curriculum and Radical Unschooling is a text describing Dayna Martin's experience and thoughts on the practice. Drawing upon educational scholars like John Holt, Martin does a fine job describing the virtues of releasing children from organized education and allowing them free rein to pursue their interests, with parents acting mostly as facilitators, counselors, guides, and only seldom as teachers. The chapters spent on describing the nuances of this paradigm shift in education, including cultural issues, interpersonal strategies, psychological changes, and the section on how to work with your partner in transitioning to a freedom-based educational approach are worth the price of admission.
Unfortunately, because Martin is a better mother than writer, the book appears amateurish and is in desperate need of professional editing. The chapters weren't organized well, the conceptual explanation didn't follow linearly, and the various "Unschooling Moments" blurbs inserted within the chapters were unnecessary distractions and did almost nothing to elucidate her points.
Furthermore, in her interest in giving a broad account of her personal approach to unschooling, she often commingles explanations and content on peaceful parenting along with it. As I am interested in both unschooling and peaceful parenting, I was not bothered by the additional content, but I felt it was out of place in this work (as were her thoughts on attachment parenting philosophy - with which I disagree) and I felt the book would have been better served by focusing strictly upon unschooling practices, virtues, habits, and not diving into parenting philosophies. Finally, the last few chapters "Living in Awareness" and "Unschooling Realities" were completely worthless: they consist of Martin extolling Law of Attraction dynamics and insisting the reader "stay grateful" and "stay positive" and "send good energy out to the universe" and other superstitious New Age spiritual babble. If you can overlook these misgivings - or, if you somehow benefit from them - Radical Unschooling is a decent introduction to the view that children learn best when they are free to pursue what they want to learn....more
Meido Moore's guide to Rinzai Zen is excellent in many ways: clear, direct, expansive, and very timely for me personally. Written for beginners, he beMeido Moore's guide to Rinzai Zen is excellent in many ways: clear, direct, expansive, and very timely for me personally. Written for beginners, he begins with explaining the origins of Buddhism and Zen, then he compares the Rinzai tradition (using Hakuin as a main proponent) to the Soto tradition of Zen, and finally instructs the reader in various ways to work toward liberation using Rinzai style techniques. More than just koan contemplation, Moore emphasizes the roles that breathwork, meditation, posture, chanting, and internal energy cultivation have in breaking us free from dualistic delusion. As a qigong practitioner, I found it a breath of fresh air to read a Zen teacher discuss the critical role that energetic systems in the body have in relation to mental clarity. His chapter on how delusion manifests in the body ("jikke" - psycho-physical distortions) and why physicality is necessary to correct these imbalances confirmed my suspicions that Zen is more than simply an intellectual or psychological practice. Intended to be a guide for teacherless Zen practitioners, his final chapters inspire me to get started on doing what I can on my own and to do the research to see who can help me get further....more
Superficial and frustrating. Given that it is a beginner's book, the author intends to take you "from A to S," but he never really gets past "E." EachSuperficial and frustrating. Given that it is a beginner's book, the author intends to take you "from A to S," but he never really gets past "E." Each chapter is short, there is little continuity between chapters, and the whole thing is riddled with typos, grammatical and semantic errors, and awkward phraseology. It badly needed an editor. The book discusses more project management than either business analysis or process modelling, and it does that pretty poorly. Only the last two chapters are relevant to the book's title, and those are not given enough detail. It might be valuable to an absolute beginner for a few dollars to read in a day or two, but not worth your time or money otherwise....more
The E-Myth does a good job presenting the problems of small businesses and how to apply systems thinking and process improvement to help them succeed.The E-Myth does a good job presenting the problems of small businesses and how to apply systems thinking and process improvement to help them succeed. The original idea of the book - the E-myth itself - is the myth that people who are good at doing technical work (writing code, selling homes, baking pies, etc.) are also good at running a business that does that kind of work. This myth is false and is the reason for so much small business failure and personal suffering. To set small business owners on the correct path, he offers a new perspective on the roles business owners have to play (Technician/Manager/Entrepreneur), new ways of developing reliable business processes, and ways of analyzing relevant business data. Unfortunately, the ideas and references are a bit dated, Gerber's writing style is not very sharp, he engages in too much personal marketing and self-aggrandizement (there's a fair bit of "At Michael E. Gerber Companies, we have developed a foolproof method for..."), and the narrational aspect of the book (explaining his philosophy to a fictional, stressed-out small business owner) is campy and cringeworthy. On the whole, however, I found it a good introduction to business process improvement....more
Daring Greatly is both an informative read on the nature of shame, vulnerability, and emotional exposure and an exhortation to begin practicing livingDaring Greatly is both an informative read on the nature of shame, vulnerability, and emotional exposure and an exhortation to begin practicing living a "Wholehearted" life, which entails coming out from the shadows of shame and judgment and sharing ourselves courageously and authentically with the world. I was intrigued to read this book because I have noticed lingering effects of childhood shame throughout my life - in my social relations, in my own self-talk, in everyday decisions - and I wanted to learn more about the process of becoming more courageous in sharing my weird self. Thankfully, Brown spends plenty of time discussing how to become shame resilient, how to determine proper degrees of vulnerability, how to differentiate guilt and shame, and how to become more introspective when feelings of shame surface. I am a more confident and open person now after having read it.
While the theory and factual content were enjoyable, I noticed that the tone and examples in the book felt more appropriate for neurotic and emotionally volatile women than normal people (Brown willingly shares example after example of her neuroticism and anxiety, as a researcher, speaker, mother, etc.). Much of the energy in the book was directed toward helping people become more vulnerable despite their incredible fear, their paralyzing anxiety, their sweaty nervousness, etc. and as a very emotionally stable person, I found this frustrating. She writes as if everyone is a porcelain doll about ready to shatter from shame and yet somehow they are to white-knuckle through the emotional exposure anyway. Perhaps I was not her target audience, but then a small section discussing ways to become more emotionally resilient would have been an a useful adjunct....more
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