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richardbakare's reviews
399 reviews
100 Ideas That Changed Architecture by Richard Weston
3.0
I am really torn on this book. It was a bit all over the place. Informative and well ordered, but then also painfully droll in style and tone deaf in some others. The selection of supporting imagery is also confusing. Beautiful in their own rights but sometimes detracting from or not entirely serving the subject being discussed in that section.
As a primer for the key innovations that have evolved architecture to where it is and how each step built off the next; it is great. But the delivery sucks the life out of the moving experience that architecture and design are. It is as if the author wanted to write a technical book, encased in a coffee table format, with footnotes riddled throughout.
Then there are some cringe worthy moments when he referred to architectural choices made in Colonial America as being subject to the “climate” of the times. NO, it was slavery, just say it. The book should have either been shorter and simpler, or more detailed and treated as a textbook. I hope someone comes along and repackages the content into something better. As it is, the book is a good way to build a better lens for how to observe buildings and the design behind them.
As a primer for the key innovations that have evolved architecture to where it is and how each step built off the next; it is great. But the delivery sucks the life out of the moving experience that architecture and design are. It is as if the author wanted to write a technical book, encased in a coffee table format, with footnotes riddled throughout.
Then there are some cringe worthy moments when he referred to architectural choices made in Colonial America as being subject to the “climate” of the times. NO, it was slavery, just say it. The book should have either been shorter and simpler, or more detailed and treated as a textbook. I hope someone comes along and repackages the content into something better. As it is, the book is a good way to build a better lens for how to observe buildings and the design behind them.
Home Body by Rupi Kaur
3.0
Trigger Warning for those not familiar with Rupi Kaur’s work or victims of past trauma themselves. Many sensitive themes are covered in this collection by the poet.
The subject matter in this collection is dark and unnerving. At the same time Rupi Kaur’s brave representation of her struggles through poetry and drawings is oddly up-lifting. In that, from the beginning the damage and struggle are laid bare. The journey through the collection is not one to some final end point of being “healed” but a glimpse into the journey itself.
There are moments of despair painstakingly detailed, vistas of promising days ahead, and all the minutiae in-between. This level of transparency in this format comes at a sacrifice. The artist examining pieces of themselves under an unforgiving microscope of writing and then offering it up to the world. From all of that mining for coal comes a few great diamonds in this ensemble.
Her ode to her bed being especially complex because of her experiences with assault and men. You are along for a very complex journey through all of the transformative phases in each section. The dual themes of self reliance and need for community offer a mental calculus of how much healing and empowerment we can draw from within versus without.
The subject matter in this collection is dark and unnerving. At the same time Rupi Kaur’s brave representation of her struggles through poetry and drawings is oddly up-lifting. In that, from the beginning the damage and struggle are laid bare. The journey through the collection is not one to some final end point of being “healed” but a glimpse into the journey itself.
There are moments of despair painstakingly detailed, vistas of promising days ahead, and all the minutiae in-between. This level of transparency in this format comes at a sacrifice. The artist examining pieces of themselves under an unforgiving microscope of writing and then offering it up to the world. From all of that mining for coal comes a few great diamonds in this ensemble.
Her ode to her bed being especially complex because of her experiences with assault and men. You are along for a very complex journey through all of the transformative phases in each section. The dual themes of self reliance and need for community offer a mental calculus of how much healing and empowerment we can draw from within versus without.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
4.0
Wow, just wow. Ocean Voung unleashed a tidal wave of poeticized story telling and imagery. He shows a mastery of language that both demonstrates its power to bring life to the singularity of the human experience, and at the same time how it is not enough to capture all that we are perfectly. His style with the pregnant pauses between scenes, allows him to fully put all the heaviness of his life on the reader but allow moments to breath. Recollecting yourself, only to plunge down deeper into beauty and tragedy. I heard the would be adapting this novel into a film, I can’t imagine how they will preserve the richness and density of the language that he packed into every sentence.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
4.0
At the time of reading this narrative, almost 200 years have passed. I would like to say that it was so long ago and things have changed. Seeing a confederate flag flown in the US Capitol reminds me otherwise. It remains that until America truly acknowledges its great sin, this record will loop. Frederick Douglas was clear on how every manner of mental gymnastics and religious sleight of hand were used to justify slavery. It seems that same mental prison and moral bereft mindset continue on under the banner of “free speech.” I want to say these people need to read memoirs like this and they would know better. But willful ignorance dominated Mr. Douglas’s day and it still does today. The remaining hope, as he made clear, is the education of the marginalized as the ticket to freedom from persecution.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
4.0
Brit Bennett has embedded a complex story about identity and all of its complexities, within what could easily be a great film or television drama. Challenging issues such as gender identity, race classification, individual aspirations, and the power of privilege; are spread across the same canvass like a Jackson Pollack painting. An entropy resembling organized chaos.
This time shifting and multiple perspective style of narrative, adds a layered richness to the story. The reader is shown multiple identities and journeys. The approach inherently challenges the reader to question each character more intensely. The confusion around what really defines identity is amplified by all of the disparate voices and their interconnected experiences.
The themes of repressed trauma and pride lurk everywhere. Every other page, you’re desperately hoping someone says something. Brit Bennett doesn’t make it easy, even when some events seem otherwise predictable. I see why this book shot to the top of so many 2020 must read lists. I can’t wait to see what she delivers next.
This time shifting and multiple perspective style of narrative, adds a layered richness to the story. The reader is shown multiple identities and journeys. The approach inherently challenges the reader to question each character more intensely. The confusion around what really defines identity is amplified by all of the disparate voices and their interconnected experiences.
The themes of repressed trauma and pride lurk everywhere. Every other page, you’re desperately hoping someone says something. Brit Bennett doesn’t make it easy, even when some events seem otherwise predictable. I see why this book shot to the top of so many 2020 must read lists. I can’t wait to see what she delivers next.
The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan by Tom Shone
5.0
Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker likes to cut against the grain of the Hollywood ethos. He only works on one project at a time, his films are delivered on time & under budget, he prefers original material, and he challenges his audiences preconceptions. Similarly, this book tries to break free of the traditional trappings of a biography or memoir.
What we get from Tom Shone is a detailed schematic of not only the creative process of each of Nolan’s films, but also an unpacking of the larger zeitgeist at the respective time. To top it off, he adds in a detailed historical tracing through art, cinema, and literature to search for the seeds that formed the précis that would become masterpieces like Inception.
Don’t be mistaken, this book is not a relentless praising of Nolan’s work for the “Nolanites” like myself. It’s a cerebral journey with the fair amount criticism to remain objective and balanced in most places. When you zoom out, Tom Shone is really posing a question. When we see the way Nolan has applied his own variations to traditional film making and storytelling, where does he sit among the greats?
What we get from Tom Shone is a detailed schematic of not only the creative process of each of Nolan’s films, but also an unpacking of the larger zeitgeist at the respective time. To top it off, he adds in a detailed historical tracing through art, cinema, and literature to search for the seeds that formed the précis that would become masterpieces like Inception.
Don’t be mistaken, this book is not a relentless praising of Nolan’s work for the “Nolanites” like myself. It’s a cerebral journey with the fair amount criticism to remain objective and balanced in most places. When you zoom out, Tom Shone is really posing a question. When we see the way Nolan has applied his own variations to traditional film making and storytelling, where does he sit among the greats?
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
3.0
My opinion on this one is right down the middle. Deacon King Kong has many well written and entertaining moments but is also saddled by too many subplots that in the end are hastily wrapped up. The first third of the book delivers that same kind of swirling tall tale madness that you see in books like “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” The odd mysteries along with the time and setting combined for a strong pull that initially keeps you turning pages.
By the middle of the book, things get a bit predictable and the tone changes a lot. In some parts, things get downright predictable. The draw of the book wanes off like many of the small supporting characters. These supporting parts and plots are in themselves intriguing but the random style of their weaving in and out gave it a disjointed and meandering feel. Where you want the author to go deeper, he stays in the shallow end. Likewise, he dives headfirst into other areas that are wholly uninteresting.
I can’t decide if the book should have been longer or shorter to make it better. If longer, I picture the story of Deacon growing into a sprawling scale that could be a contemporary reimagining of Don Quixote. If shorter, it could have been a great novella with fewer subplots and characters. A lot like some of Philip K. Dick’s best works. This was one occasion where I though the material would make play better in film format than written.
By the middle of the book, things get a bit predictable and the tone changes a lot. In some parts, things get downright predictable. The draw of the book wanes off like many of the small supporting characters. These supporting parts and plots are in themselves intriguing but the random style of their weaving in and out gave it a disjointed and meandering feel. Where you want the author to go deeper, he stays in the shallow end. Likewise, he dives headfirst into other areas that are wholly uninteresting.
I can’t decide if the book should have been longer or shorter to make it better. If longer, I picture the story of Deacon growing into a sprawling scale that could be a contemporary reimagining of Don Quixote. If shorter, it could have been a great novella with fewer subplots and characters. A lot like some of Philip K. Dick’s best works. This was one occasion where I though the material would make play better in film format than written.
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
4.0
Throughout the entirety of Blink you end up seeing how counterintuitive our first impressions to so many things are. From taste tests, to wartime strategy, and most importantly to how we interpret other people. To start to accept this idea you first have to accept a series of rules.
The first is that snap judgments are natural and seem accurate enough for many scenarios. The second is that we can’t play an active part in that snap judgment. The next and probably biggest understanding is knowing which snap decisions to trust and which to actively work against.
In his book, “Talking to Strangers,” Gladwell does a great job of explaining that third part, the filter. The filter being CONTEXT of course. In Blink he lays out how we quickly judge, and in the other he dives into how butcher context. For that reason you should absolutely read Blink first, followed closely by “Talking to Strangers.”
All of this is done in Gladwell’s well established style. That trademark elaborate journey layered with anecdotes, tests, and expert insights that all combine to demonstrate powerful patterns. It’s how you wish we learned most everything. At least in an exploratory sense. Seeding the curiosity, watering it, and waiting for that lightbulb like bloom that represents the “aha” moment.
The first is that snap judgments are natural and seem accurate enough for many scenarios. The second is that we can’t play an active part in that snap judgment. The next and probably biggest understanding is knowing which snap decisions to trust and which to actively work against.
In his book, “Talking to Strangers,” Gladwell does a great job of explaining that third part, the filter. The filter being CONTEXT of course. In Blink he lays out how we quickly judge, and in the other he dives into how butcher context. For that reason you should absolutely read Blink first, followed closely by “Talking to Strangers.”
All of this is done in Gladwell’s well established style. That trademark elaborate journey layered with anecdotes, tests, and expert insights that all combine to demonstrate powerful patterns. It’s how you wish we learned most everything. At least in an exploratory sense. Seeding the curiosity, watering it, and waiting for that lightbulb like bloom that represents the “aha” moment.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
3.0
There are hard to describe nuances that make the Hunger Games series more engaging for audiences beyond the intended age range. Maybe it’s the coming of age story that grates so violently against the bitter reality of life that we all know. These passages often trigger reflections of when our own romantic ideals of the world went up in smoke.
Or maybe it’s the myriad of questions about the order of things that that the series prompts. Like how does the world whittle down to a contracted state like that of Panem and it’s Districts? Are we good natured at the core, and then pushed over the line by circumstance? Or rather, is who we really are just revealed by the pressure of our environment?
Collins has done a great job recreating those same debates and introspections in this prequel. Though at times predictable and slow, it does pull you in and the characters are given proper development and mystery. I only wish that the pre-war Panem was covered more in the prequel than just Snow’s backstory.
Or maybe it’s the myriad of questions about the order of things that that the series prompts. Like how does the world whittle down to a contracted state like that of Panem and it’s Districts? Are we good natured at the core, and then pushed over the line by circumstance? Or rather, is who we really are just revealed by the pressure of our environment?
Collins has done a great job recreating those same debates and introspections in this prequel. Though at times predictable and slow, it does pull you in and the characters are given proper development and mystery. I only wish that the pre-war Panem was covered more in the prequel than just Snow’s backstory.