Tag: bookreview

We are the weather (Saving the planet begins at breakfast)

I am back after a bit of a hiatus, which to be fair, isn’t entirely my fault. My Word Press decided it didn’t want to work anymore and every time I tried to create a new post, it just gave me a blank screen. After giving up for a while, I searched the internet until I found the solution (you need to clear your cookies if it happens to you).

The other reason I have had a bit of a hiatus is that I have been on a reading spree, and I am not exaggerating by spree. This year, I made a resolution to read more and watch tv less, and I am delivering. So far I am averaging two books a week, which seems like madness to me! So far in 2020 I have read 10 books, so who knows what it will be by the end of the year!

One of these books is called ‘We are the Weather’ by  Jonathon Safron Foer. This is one of those books that popped up on a list somewhere of books that will change your life, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love the environment and sustainability, so this one was a no-brainer for me.

In the end, this book was… interesting. I think for anyone who doesn’t know much about sustainability in the modern age and how changing the way you eat can have positive impacts for the environment, and is looking to develop their knowledge a little more, this book is for you.

For me. though, the book didn’t really teach me anything I didn’t know, and I didn’t find the story compelling enough to try and convince anyone to change their behaviours. The storyline felt jumpy, and the whole time it felt like the author was trying not to say what they were actually trying to convince you of. Instead of telling you not to eat meat, he described stories of change including the Holocaust and Rosa Parks, then drops facts about the impact of meat consumption on the environment, and then I don’t even remember what he rambles on about next. Maybe that was his intention, he didn’t want to tell people what to do, he wanted them to get there on their own. All I know is that by the end I didn’t feel compelled to stop eating meat, and I was vegetarian for 2 and a half years, and still don’t eat that much meat myself. So if I couldn’t be convinced, why would anyone else reading that book be?

Again, there was some great facts and for people looking for an intro into the sustainability context of consuming less meat, and I think this book would be great for someone like my boyfriend. But for me, it just really wasn’t emotive enough, or have enough of a clear story throughout. I would be interested to see his other book on factory farming to see how that story pans out, and whether he is able to make a stronger argument there.

This is a book that maybe everyone should read, or a topic that everyone should do some research on at least. I just wish that whoever told this story to the masses was able to tell it a little better.

I give it 3 out of 5.

This will only hurt a little bit

It’s early days of 2019, but I think I am ready to call my #1 book of the year already. Busy Phillip’s autobiography, This Will Only Hurt a Little Bit. I powered through this book in a day, I barely came up for air.

I am not normally one for autobiographies. I enjoy them every now and then, but as a whole I would much prefer a fictional story, or a story telling a fuller story with lots of different perspectives, as opposed to just one person. But this is the exception.

Busy is someone I have seen around a few times but not someone I closely followed, until the #metoo movement when she appeared on Ellen. That’s when I started to hear about her story and get interested. Busy speaks candidly about her life, the good, the bad, the ugly. One thing I loved about her book, and by extension her, is that she is so honest about herself, including her flaws. Calling out when she has done something shitty, or calling out when she regrets doing something a certain way. That’s what makes her story so good, because she is someone who recognises her flaws, and still battles on with life and you root for her, you want her to have all the success in the world.

I don’t want to give anything away, but Busy’s experience as a woman and the different experiences she has had with the men around her are things that resonate with the audience, and they show her bravery, and how far she has come throughout her life. At times I wanted to go back in time and grab a younger Busy and hug her, or praise her.

Another part that I found particularly interesting, especially as an Australian is the role of Heath Ledger in her life, and the lives of those closest to her. As a Heath Ledger fan, that insight into how their lives intertwined was so interesting.

Busy is the first woman to host her own tonight show, and she deserves it. This book was an interesting insight into how she has got there, and also all the challenges she has overcome to become the inspiring woman she is today.

I give it a 5 out of 5.

To Obama

Before I start my first book review, let me preface this by saying I am not an American, and I have never spent more than a week there, so I have a limited view into what life is like in America. With that said, one book I believe that every American should read is ‘To Obama: With Love, Joy, Anger, and Hope’ by Jeanne Marie Laskas.

This book is about the letters that Barack Obama received throughout his presidency, the replies he sent, and the people behind the letters. This is not just about the nice letters he received telling him what a great job he was doing, in fact, not many of the letters were like that at all. Instead it was letters telling him that he was letting his people down, that a lot of his constituents have no faith in him, that their worlds were crumbling and they wanted Obama to fix it.

The foundation of the book is about how during Obama’s presidency, he committed to reading ten letters a day that were received by his office. Quite often he replied to those letters, by hand, responding to the American peoples’ worries, concerns and even once, to their homework. The concept of this book is so deeply intriguing, and gives you an insight into how Americans interact with their politicians and also the heavy burden that is carried by any President.

As someone from outside of America, it also gave me a lot of insight into how their political system interacts with the people, and also how different Presidents throughout time carried out this responsibility. Having long been a big Obama supporter, this book only made me love him more.

In terms of the actual writing though, it was a little disjointed and hard to follow at times. In between blocks of letters there are little narrations of people who wrote letters, or people that worked in the President’s office. There is no flow between these segments, and whilst they do tell individual stories and add colour to some individuals, they could have been better woven into a complete story and the stories didn’t always clearly link to the letters themselves.

Overall, this book was an outstanding read, and I would recommend it to all (not just Americans). It was moving, it was informative, and it made me gain even more respect for Obama. Perhaps the best part though, was the letters and stories that came after Trump was voted in and the continuation of the letters’ importance to Obama’s life post-presidency.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.