philip_bonanno's reviews
232 reviews

Exodus by Leon Uris

slow-paced

0.75

This is probably the worst book I’ve ever read. Definitely since Dr. Fu Manchu. Very difficult to get through — it’s not artful propaganda. Very hateful and virulently racist. 

Outside of those issues (which are massive,) the writing is BAD. It’s a meandering and wandering narrative that veers off track for about 75 pages at a time to explain the characters history, which is just awful. 

The author will always put the passages that he wants you to pay attention to at the end of chapters which is so lazy and aesthetically contemptible. The women characters have almost zero dimension outside of their sex appeal and willingness to care for others, while the men fulfill their own nationalistic stereotypes and never see any sort of development or have any arc. 

The only reason it gets any rating is because some of characters are less redundant. But i will basically give anything 3 stars, and I just think this book is irredeemably awful.

Underground to Palestine by I.F. Stone

adventurous informative medium-paced

3.25

Writing style was a bit monotonous which made the story less enjoyable. Plus the general jabs at native Palestinians weren’t great, but as a document that describes Holocaust survivors and their interactions with freedom for the first time it is a worthy historical read.

Our American Israel: The Story of an Entangled Alliance by Amy Kaplan

informative

4.5

Amazing book — very ambitious in its argument and length, but I can’t really say what I’d cut out of it. Gives a fantastic survey of the founding of US-Israel alliance along with tying that together with both countries creation stories. Would 100% recommend to anyone looking to read more about the conflict currently ongoing.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

4.25

Fantastic. Slow start, but incredibly dense word building and politics with really enjoyable plot points

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

dark funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

This rating would be higher if Tor did a better job with typos. I like this particular method of introducing a trilogy where it’s a more contained plot with promise of a more expansive sequel where you learn more about the world. I enjoyed the characters, but at times feel like characters like Vin and Kelsier are a little overdone in the genre — but were overall enjoyable.

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

3.5

This book was better than the second, but the ending was still bad. It was less disjointed, but I dislike books where everything goes wrong all the time. 

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

medium-paced

3.0

The last ~150 pages of this book are really good. The first 500 are kinda a mess though. The plot points are difficult to follow and it’s a little bit of a problem that you barely need to read the first book to understand the second

Of One Blood; Or, the Hidden Self by Pauline E. Hopkins

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

This book is AMAZING. It’s like 5 books in one and kinda batshit tbh, but gotta support the Portland authors ytmfv. Also love the plot development followed by the most devastating philosophical thoughts — very enjoyable.

Collected Poems by Sonia Sanchez

4.0

Lots of hauntingly beautiful poems. Some of my favorite haikus! Her performances of some of the poems in this book on YouTube are amazing!

The Minister Primarily by John Oliver Killens

funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Fun satire! Interesting development from Killens