Golem ve Cin - Helene Wecker itibaren Doğan Kitap içinde LIT biçim

Elif Demir elifdemir — I bought Ahmed Shawki’s book, Black Liberation and Socialism early this year, but I didn’t start reading it until mid-year, as I was consuming another half dozen or so books beforehand. I quickly consumed over half of it in a week, and then my mind wandered and I got hooked on something else. It wasn’t that the book was bad, it’s the fact that there are so many good books out there and I don’t want to be taken away by just the one book at the one time. After finishing The Pilo Family Circus, I went back to it and quickly finished the rest. The book is about the Black liberation struggles from slavery up until the present, and of course, it’s connection with the struggle for Socialism. Shawki’s a member of the ISO in the U.S. as well as the editor of ISR, so it’s no surprise that I agree with his politics. The depth of information and real evidence is invaluable, particularly the success of the first desegregated unions. But above all, the depth and clarity of the book comes from the fact that he quotes extensively from Black liberation activists including Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jnr. Their words and their confidence are an inspiration to anyone who wants to rid racism from the world. It’s certainly a book that I’ll be reading again, as well as a handy reference for future debates. http://www.benjaminsolah.com/blog/?p=348

Kizo Kiza kizoo0 — I liked the book, I think I was expecting a little more though.

Jolinde Nijland _olinde — Igraine wants to be a knight and her family are all magicians. When her parents are turned into pigs, she and her brother Albert have to defend their castle and their magic books from the nasty neighbor.

Desiree Williamson dez_marie_594f — Oryx and Crake (the first in the MaddAddam Trilogy) is yet another eerie concoction effortlessly thrown together by the brilliant Margaret Atwood. Human beings, just like in The Handmaid's Tale, are confronted with the harsh reality of their own making. Her writing is convincing, because it is based on contemporary issues like (fear of) terrorism, overpopulation and the resulting food shortage. Climate change, be it human-induced or part of a natural cycle, has made many parts of the world inhabitable. The ozone layer has withered away and only the strongest sunblock can protect human skin against burning. Fear of violence (and a good supply of money) led to the creation of Compounds, in which research is conducted to make human life more comfortable. Playing God has never been easier: mankind unscrupulously devises pigoons (pigs that carry cloned human skin and/or organs, even brain tissue), wolvogs (a doglike creature that is as wild as a wolf) and some kind of chicken that consists mostly of drumsticks (or whatever the market demands), among others. Non-brainiacs do not have the pleasure of living in the clean and heavily guarded Compounds, but are condemned to the nature-ravaged Pleeblands, i.e. everywhere else in the world. Jimmy, as Snowman used to be known, spent his youth in different Compounds, depending on the company that was employing his father at that time. His childhood was not a happy one and his only friend, Glenn, much smarter than him. This strange, rational boy guides Jimmy through the internet of the future: a place that does not shy away from any flavor of sexuality (it is here that they first spot Oryx, or a girl that looks like her) or vicious murder. Tomorrow's world suffers from entertainment overload. Nothing is shocking to the eye, everything becomes numbingly mundane. And our future selves are eager to participate, to stand out from the crazy crowds, to the point that even public suicide becomes common. Never would Jimmy have guessed that Glenn, also known as Crake, was in fact weighing humanity's worth, before passing an unfavorable judgement. Indeed, this was a science fiction novel that I enjoyed very much. It was thrilling and depressing at the same time, its compelling story urging me to read on and on. The best science fiction (and dystopia) is the kind that is built on realistic scenarios, and Atwood is quite the master at spine-chilling plots. Ultimately, we have only ourselves to fear, and boy, are we capable of some scary stuff! I only have one gripe: while I can clearly envisage Crake as the genius who lost control over his emotions in the end, Oryx remained vague in my mind's eye, akin to (many of) the women in Haruki Murakami's novels. Oryx is real to the touch, but untouchable at the same time. She's like a ghost passing through, solidifying only at her own whim. But perhaps she was intentionally written this way?

àile Carvalho ailecarvalho — The fourth of the series is probably my favorite. It is so multi-faceted, describing not only the good vs. evil battle, but also classes, daily life at Hogwarts, and Hermione's attempt to liberate the house elves. Nothing like social justice thrown in with some under-age wizardry. *** As they entered March the weather became drier, but cruel winds skinned their hands and faces every time they went out onto the grounds (510).