Library Goddesses
Nonfiction for Adults
Garrulous Goddesses generate Genuine Gems...
Monday, May 06, 2013
Gulp by Mary Roach
Mary Roach is one of my fave science writers. She's written Bonk (about sex), Stiff (about cadavers and what happens to them) and a few entertaining others. This book Gulp is about the alimentary canal and how it works. Actually I read the book to find out exactly how Elvis Presley died (and found out!) Essentially we are a large worm, that grew arms, legs and a brain so the worm would have an easier time getting food to live. That's pretty simplistic, but the book has many odd bits of entertaining stuff in it - how about the man with a colon that measured 28" around (not lengthwise) - yes twenty eight - it's in a museum. If you are curious and like the interesting/weird stuff of life this is the book for you.
Monday, April 29, 2013
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller
| Hmmm, this would be a great thing to do after I practice a bit! It was an amazing book to read , just for the time spent walking, one foot after another - that's exactly how it's done; with of course, a few stops for bears and snakes, mice, rain, sleet, rocks, and other assorted stuff. The book is wonderfully written, and a great adventure. From Georgia to Maine 2,172 miles, if you're an armchair traveler, please pick up this book! |
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
China: Fragile Superpower - by Susan L. Shirk
China indeed is a very complex and big country which has
vast geographical spread over 10 neighboring countries with close
territorial contacts on land and at sea, a multi-ethnic population of 1.3B and
a long history; although People Republic of China (PRC) only has 64 years of history. She is facing a lot of
challenges both domestically (justice, high gini coefficient, corruptions,
pollution, food safety, etc, etc) and externally ( in the areas of political
institutions and human rights, territorial disputes and trade imbalances,
energy and raw material sourcing, etc, etc). The world is closely watching how
the two world super-powers (US and China) with totally different cultural
beliefs will continue to co-ordinate going forward.
This book comprehensively reflects the author, Susan Shirk's
personal experience and her general perception of the China's leadership from
the 'West' point of view. It is remarkable that Shirk had the actual experience
in China back to the early 1970's when American national security advisor Henry
Kissinger arrived to arrange for President Nixon’s visit. She pointed out that
although China looks like an economic powerhouse from the outside but its
internal domestic problems also pose the greatest challenge to China’s leader
that could derail its peaceful rise.
This book is very informative and it is ideal for those who
are seeking to know more about the new China.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China
A combination of cheap labor and can do attitude has transform China from a mainly agricultural society to one that has become the world's factory. The 130 million migrant workers getting out from village to city is one of the factors that contributes the "cheap labor" in china.
The author, Leslie Chang tells the story of migrant workers through the lives of two young women whom she follows over the course of three years in a city named Dongquan, an industrial city in Guangdong province and it is about 100 km from Hong Kong.
This book provides the insights of why and how young farmers are moving out from rural village to the city. It also paints a picture of what the migrant workers' "factory life" looks like....how they fight their daily battle, how they save money and send back home to support their families. Chang also takes us inside a large sneaker factory, that is so big, has it's own hospital, movie theatre and fire station. There are thousands of factories and millions of workers in Dongquan. Employers are free to discriminate widely while workers lie about their experience seems the best way to get a job. And the migrant workers are constantly jumping from one factory to the other for more money and a better life. The mass migration of young workers from country side to the city in China is fascinating. You may find this book interesting.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Midnight in Peking
In 1937, Peking had a population of one and a half million;
of which only two or three thousands were foreigner. A young Englishwoman, Pamela
Werner was murdered and her body was found in an icy wasteland. All the blood
had been drained from her body and the body was badly mutilated (and some other
gruesome details).......The circumstances were deeply suspicious. An
investigation was launched but it was quickly turned into trouble. An unusual
Chinese-British operation was formed to get to the true. But over and over
again the police were steering away from the details that might suggest to blame
on the white community. And perhaps, it might be less embarrassing and more
convenient to think that the crime was committed by a crazy Chinese killer.
The author Paul French, a historian, a business advisory and
analyst calls the book "reconstruction". He spent seven years
researching this dramatic true story. He went through archives, uncataloged
files in both China and United Kingdom. Clue by clue, He uncovered the truth of
this bizarre murder case.
This was a pre-world war II true-crime story.
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