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stanley_nolan_blog's reviews
404 reviews
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Night Train by Martin Amis
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The Myth of American Idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World by Nathan J. Robinson, Noam Chomsky
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
While Robinson did a fine job distilling Chomsky's political writing/ideas, here's a list of recommendations for Chomsky's actual writings; if you're looking for something on his...
...excerpts pulled from different influential texts: The Chomsky Reader
...most up-to-date text on politics/history: Who Rules the World?
...perhaps greatest output as an author/thinker: Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
...first political text on what it means being an intellectual: The Responsibility of Intellectuals
...very very thorough analysis of Israel-Palestine-USA relations (which hasn't changed much in forty years, unfortunately): Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians
...excerpts pulled from different influential texts: The Chomsky Reader
...most up-to-date text on politics/history: Who Rules the World?
...perhaps greatest output as an author/thinker: Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
...first political text on what it means being an intellectual: The Responsibility of Intellectuals
...very very thorough analysis of Israel-Palestine-USA relations (which hasn't changed much in forty years, unfortunately): Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians
Overshoot: Climate Politics When It's Too Late by Andreas Malm, Wim Carton
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
The Magic Hours: The Films and Hidden Life of Terrence Malick by John Bleasdale
medium-paced
2.5
John Bleasdale had the daunting task of writing the biography of a reclusive figure who's still alive. Therefore, many of the biographical details are missing and it ends with the shrug of the shoulders of "let's see what happens next." Instead of writing an insightful and creative exploration of a complicated filmmaking figure, Bleasdale spends a lot of time playing apologist and complaining about misinformation and bad reviews. Both of which show the sign of insecure, hagiographic writing, which is unfortunately popular among many film biographies; people want to hear some stories from a production they enjoyed and have their biases confirmed rather than challenged.