Apr 01
My consumption for the month of March.
First books:
- Harriet’s Daughter
- The Middle Passage
- Deadly Persuasion
- Sister Outsider
- Ways of Sunlight
- Purple Hibiscus
- The Stolen Child
- Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
- The God Delusion
Then movies:
- Ghost Rider
- Stomp the Yard
- Barnyard
- Matchstick Men
- Hard Candy
- The Devil Wears Prada
- Sherrybaby
- Happy Feet
- 300
No movies that I was particularly impressed with. In fact, I watched a lot of fairly crap movies in March. My favourite book for the month was The Middle Passage, which I quoted here.
My copy of the Middle Passage is practically always at my bedside.
Were Purple Hibiscus and the God Delusion any good?
Jonathan Ali · April 02, 2007
Purple Hibiscus was okay, but not great. Towards the end it sort of fell apart and I ended up feeling like it wasn’t really about anything—that the story had no point, or too many points, or something. It wasn’t a satisfying read. I much preferred Half of a Yellow Sun.
The God Delusion was fun to read because Richard Dawkins’ writing is so full of personality. It was worth a read, but it wasn’t life-changing or anything. It was entertaining. But Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything did more to make me ponder the existence or absence of a supreme than The God Delusion did.
titilayo · April 02, 2007
Haven’t read A Short History…. Would love to know how Bill Bryson could make one ponder the existence or absence of God!
As for Dawkins, he comes across as a joyless fundamentalist, or at least this review of the God Delusion (http://lrb.co.uk/v28/n20/eagl01_.html) sure makes him seem that way.
Jonathan Ali · April 03, 2007
Based on The God Delusion, Dawkins doesn’t seem joyless. He comes across (to me at least) as witty, generally good-humoured, impatient, smart, snarky, rather pleased with himself. The description of him as an “identifiable kind of English middle-class liberal rationalist” seems to suit. Most of all I get the feeling that he thinks that if you do believe in God, well, you’re just being silly, really, and he feels sorry for you because you just don’t know any better, poor thing.
As far as his arguments against there being a God, they’re sort of “meh”. I’ll sort out my thoughts on them and see if I can pull a proper post together.
titilayo · April 03, 2007
If you’re a believer, you might think this is the work of the Divine; if not, you’ll probably just think it’s a coincidence, but as I was reading your last reply I got emailed this link by a colleague:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17889148/site/newsweek/?gt1=9246
Jonathan Ali · April 03, 2007
Gallimaufry: You MUST, absolutely MUST put back up those photos of the Bridgetown beautification. If this site cannot host them, please place them on Snapfish.com. The hosting is for free; folks only pay to copy them or print them. PLEEASE
BajanSmurf · April 18, 2007