Knowledge is cool.: January 2009

1/21/09

Book Review: Blink

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
By Malcolm Gladwell

It's been a long time since a book blew me away like this. I must admit, the ideas and concepts proposed by Gladwell were extremely foreign to me and they were unsettling. The (very basic) gist of the book is that if you have extended experience with something, you can make the right decision within milliseconds - in the blink of an eye. The deeper I got into this book, the more freaked out I became.

Why was I so intimidated by this book? The first answer is that I find myself to be relatively well read and I had never heard of such a concept. It's such a new perspective that I hadn't even caught a whiff of it. Second, my life is very structured, especially in the realm of problems. I have a problem. I analyze it. I research it. I return to the problem with a plan and a back up plan. What Gladwell tells me is that I don't have to do all that if the area the problem is set in is an area of my personal expertise.

As a control freak, manic time manager, diligent source checker and overall OCD victim, the idea of making a decision, an important decision, in the blink of an eye is completely bananas. Yet, with Gladwell's fantastic writing, in depth research, clear examples and beautifully crafted argument, in the end I got it. The examples ranged from being able to tell the health of a marriage within 30 seconds to how a war game is won to the thinking process of a cop when he has to decide whether he's going to fire his gun.

Trust me that this review, nor almost any review, will be able to tell you how this book is going to effect you. It didn't hit home for me until I was at the last 50 pages. I have found that I'm starting to trust myself more, especially when I'm working in an area I've mastered, like librarianship. Even in writing I think I have this type of automatic response. Going with your gut is actually good form, despite the risks involved. I can't believe I just wrote that last statement.

This book is an exploration of instincts and the subconscious and it's a journey that I'm glad I embarked upon. It was very strange and very worth it.

1/17/09

Book Review: Good Poems for Hard Times

Good Poems for Hard Times
Edited by Garrison Keillor

As soon as I stumbled upon this book, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. For one, Garrison Keillor is amazing. I recommend listening to the Writer's Almanac podcasts. I have found that when I think of Keillor, I think of great poetry and literature.
This collection was so great that I asked my library to purchase it. The collection is also incredibly relevant now. There is something for everyone. From the saddened artist, to the struggling parents, to those that have lost someone, to those shivering in the winter cold.
There are poems that inspire and motivate (To A Frustrated Poet - Ellmann). There are those that chronicle the path to death (Last Poem - Berrigan). There are those that capture love (In Paris with You - Fenton & The Love Cook - Padgett). Other poems wallow through misery others through a happy nostalgia. Winter is a also common theme. Some of my favorite poems were about the simplest joys in life (Ode to My 1977 Toyota & In Praise of My Bed - Holmes).
Highly recommended to read and read aloud.

1/16/09

Book Review: Handmaid's Tale

Handmaid's Tale
By Margaret Atwood

This was my first Atwood novel and it was right up my alley. It takes place in a dystopian society. The United States is renamed the Republic of Gilead and the story supposedly takes place in Massachusetts. Women are given no rights beyond those assigned by the men that have taken over society. I know it sounds like a feminism-drenched novel, but it's not really.

The story is narrated by a Handmaid named Offred. She was became a prisoner of the government when she tried to flee the country. She basically has to take part in a ceremony where a Commander has sex with her while the wife observes. The point: to make a baby. That's the Handmaid's only purpose in life.

Atwood's writing is superb and kind of a literary punch to the face. She weaves a story that starts off sort of quirky and humorous, very sarcastic. Despite the troubling circumstances Offred deals with, she's relatively good-natured about it at the beginning. However, as the story progresses, one can identify the narrators' growing interest in suicide strategies. Everything that happens in the story is very vivid and oftentimes quite disturbing.

Even though one knows pretty quickly that the main character is eventually going to be hauled off in a great, big black van, Atwood still makes this a great read through her storytelling. The only problem with the book is that one never learns very much about the society. Atwood gives you just enough information to make you curious, but she doesn't leave out anything critical to the story. Really well done. This was way better than "Brave New World" but in a similar spirit.
Based on this book, you can bet I'll be reading more of Atwood's work.

1/10/09

Detroit, Mitch Albom and the real deal

Last night my BlackBerry chimed and I took a peek before bed. My dear friend, Marisa, sent me an article from Sports Illustrated. The article was called "The Courage of Detroit" and was written by Mitch Albom, a renowned Detroit Free Press columnist of more than two decades. It intrigued me and I promised myself I'd read it the next day, today. It struck close to home, as it should for absolutely any Detroiter. I got a bit emotional.

Albom chronicles the sports ups and downs in Detroit. This is the greatest sports town in the United States. Yet, he doesn't keep it under that umbrella. He dives into the contradictions of the country that's forgotten its manufacturing base, its middle class and its Michigan citizens who struggle along. He wonders how California can complain that we make cars that ruin the environment when THEY ALL DRIVE THEM CONSTANTLY. Get your head out of the smog cloud, California. Or how Southern politicians, all a bunch of jokers if you ask me, can outsource jobs, bust unions, lower wages and give tax breaks to foreign automakers and then scold the U.S. auto executives for bad practices. I'm not saying the auto executives and their managerial goonies are free of blame, but come on. (I considered adding a few choice words about the South here, but I'll save it. I try to keep the blog family-friendly.)

Albom writes about the homeless, the foreclosed homes, the quiet downtown, the looming casinos and the rampant unemployment. He calls the people of this city and state the most downtrodden optimists. We don't talk about if Detroit will return to its former glory. We talk about when it does. It's so true. We know it's bad, we get it, but it's not going to stay that way.

A question Detroiters often hear is "Why don't you leave?" Shortsighted people have asked me this because they feel I would benefit elsewhere. I suppose my answer is that I'm not afraid, I believe in the city and, frankly, it's nurtured my family, education and career since 1985. Whether I like it or not, no other city gives me this many shots at success. No other city has as many of my relatives and dearest friends, either.

Albom gets the "Why don't you leave?" question, too. He obviously loves this city and though he doesn't say it explicitly in the article, you know that's what he means. This article reminded me why Albom was one of my fundamental inspirations to start writing when I was a kid: I loved hearing his voice on the page. I enjoyed his thoughts and appreciated his concise writing. Reading this article dusted off some nostalgia.

I've heard people bagging on Albom in the past. He got in a little bit of writing hot water a few years back. I never met him, but I think I wrongly let those negative sentiments influence me. This article has set me straight. It really brought me full circle and it helped understand my feelings about Albom, Detroit and Michigan.

In the article, Albom captures what I think is the essence of how Detroiters feel and he's published it in a popular national magazine. I hope people get the message. I hope that this helps them understand where we're coming from and how we're dealing with where we're going. I love Albom's last line:

"To hell with Depression. We're gonna have a good year."

A few tears popped out of my eyes while I read the article, but not because I was sad. I was moved. Sometimes I find a get choked up while listening to podcasts that share incredible stories (a usual suspect: This American Life.) You can imagine how silly I look when I get choked up while on a bike ride or running.

These weren't tears of sadness, but rather tears of relief. What Albom wrote was exactly what I was thinking. Honestly, I also feel it's exactly what a lot of Detroiters are thinking. That gave me a sense of unity. We're all in this together. It gave me hope, the same kind of hope that sprouted some tears when I watched Barack Obama's presidential victory. It's not about sadness, quite the opposite in circumstances like these.

Thanks, Mitch. Thanks for setting me and everyone else straight. You are the real deal.