Yaratıcılık (Kuralları Boşverin) - John Hegarty itibaren MediaCat Kitapları içinde LIT biçim

薛 晨 6304431661fea — I LOVED this book. Great history mixed with delightful fiction and a pleasant ending too!

Thiago Cunha thiagodsg — It was pretty good. Not nearly as gripping as the last two but still good.

Stephanie Tadros stephanietadros — The more I read books of this nature, the more I realize how little I know about the phenomenally varied history of this nation. I suspect the majority of you are far less deficient when it comes to your knowledge of history. That said, I have to tell you that this book fascinated me. Think of Mexico, and your first thoughts probably include the idea that a heck of a lot of people want out of there these days—legally or otherwise. I was fascinated to read that at the end of the Civil War, there were a significant number of confederate soldiers who refused to believe that they were defeated and who made the choice to enter Mexico as a result. This book details the migration of between four thousand and five thousand Americans into Mexico at the end of the Civil War. Days prior to his death, Mr. Lincoln apparently expressed concern over the possibility of Americans emigrating to Mexico, pointing out that he was perfectly fine with them leaving the country, but suggesting that he wanted to make darn sure they actually got there and stayed or something along those lines. This book details the exodus of several groups of disillusioned soldiers and their families, and it covers the establishment of several colonies in Mexico. You’ll read about the deceptions and treacheries of the puppet French emperor of Mexico, Maximilian, and his willingness to invite the Americans into Mexico, but then to never really allow them to assimilate into the country and culture. Of course, he had problems simply holding onto his throne, and he would eventually be deposed, which caused even greater problems for the Americans, who were thought to be friends of his. In fact, none of the confederate colonies established thrived; there’s nothing left of them today. There were a few citizens who stayed and eked out a living somehow, but predominantly, the bitter defeated exiles ultimately realized that they were better off to come home under even the worst of circumstances such as imprisonment than to stay in a country where they weren’t ultimately wanted, where they were considered occupiers and invaders, and where the weather didn’t generally cooperate with their ability to grow the crops they were used to growing as sons of the South. This is a highly readable little history, and it helped me better understand the mindset of the defeated confederate soldier—especially those more militant ones who would rather bake and toil in a land whose language and culture they didn’t understand than to deal with the vanquished and conquered communities they left with such promise at the beginning of the conflict.

Nicola B uhhhhh — I really, really loved this book! Lately I seem to have really embraced the "food" genre - ranging from books on growing to cooking to eating food and the role that food plays in both our physical and emotional health. JULIE AND JULIA is a great addition to the shelf. It reminds me a bit of EAT, PRAY, LOVE, but without all the self-righteousness and religious stuff. I liked that book a lot, but JULIE AND JULIA is much more my (snarky) style. I can totally relate to the author, an early-thirty-something trying to find a meaning in her life once she hits that post-20's "you mean, this is it?" realization. Julie Powell manages to get through that existential crisis by finding a new purpose in channeling Julia Child and spending a year conquering some really intimidating recipes. Perhaps I'm doing a bit of the same by trying to find more control and substance in my own life through cooking and, hopefully soon, growing healthier food. (And hopefully I'll find an Eric of my own someday!) Plus, Julie Powell endeared herself to me completely in the cheesy end pages of the paperback edition, once you get through the reading group guide and the usual interview with the author. She gives a list of other books that might be of interesting, and they include the usual cookbooks and biographies of Julia Child. But there, at the very end, she reveals herself to be not only a diehard fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but also a devotee of Max Brooks and his Zombie books! She's like my soul sister. :-)