Why Darwin Matters

The Case Against Intelligent Design
by Michael Shermer
ages: adult (though anyone interested in this debate could read this)
First sentence: "In June 2004, the science historian Frank Sulloway and I began a month-long expedition to retrace Charles Darwin's footsteps in the Galapagos Islands."

Delivery, people, delivery.

When writing a book, SO much depends on the delivery, the tone, the way in which you present the information, characters, narrative, story.

In short: this book would have been much better if the author hadn't constantly come off as a pompous ass.

It's not that I disagree with his premise: that Intelligent Design is NOT science, that evolution is a fact and not a belief, that one can believe in God and accept evolution and not have it in conflict. But, I just don't know who this man was trying to convince. He kept implying -- and in some cases, he says it pretty explicitly -- that the ID people are morons (which they might be, but that's no way to present an argument), that they are crusaders (ditto), and that Science is Right and if you are a reasonable person, then you will accept that ID is bunk and Evolution is right.

Right.

Really, it's no way to endear your reader to your position. And it's no way to convince those who believe in ID, or are even on the fence, that you're right and they're wrong (even if you are).

Grrr.

Geeky World Reader

This week's geek asks us where we've "gone" in the world through our reading.

Are you a global reader? How many countries have you "visited" in your reading? What are your favorite places or cultures to read about? Can you recommend particularly good books about certain regions, countries or continents? How do you find out about books from other countries? What countries would you like to read that you haven't yet? Use your own criteria about what you consider to be "visiting" -- whether a book is written about the country or by a native or resident of the country. For fun, create one of these maps at this website ticking off the countries you've read books from - you might be surprised how many (or how few!) countries you've read. Include the map in your blog post if you're so inclined.

I'm going to try and do this off the top of my head:



create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

Canada -- author from (Margaret Atwood)
US -- lots
Mexico -- Set in (Hummingbird's Daughter)
Bermuda/Trinidad and Tobago/Grenada -- author visited (Embarrased by Mangoes)
Dominican Republic -- set in (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents)
Argentina -- author visited (Eight Feet in the Andes)
Brazil -- Set in (Bringing the Boy Home)
South Africa -- The White Giraffe
(I'm not sure, exactly if there's more than that from Africa; nothing's coming to mind.)
Austria -- set in (The Musician's Daughter)
Italy -- author visited (Under the Tuscan Sun)
Netherlands -- set in (Girl With a Pearl Earring)
Vatican City -- set in (Angels and Demons)
France -- lots (The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry; A Good Year)
Greece -- set in (Oh. My. Gods.)
Ireland -- author (Roddy Doyle)
Iceland -- author visited (The Geography of Bliss; I could count this book for a lot of places, but I'll just use my favorite chapter.)
Russia -- author (Death of Ivan Illych)
Sweden -- author/set in (Echoes From the Dead)
UK -- lots
Iraq -- author been (Baghdad Without a Map)
Iran -- author from (Reading Lolita in Tehran, Persepolis, among others)
Israel -- author from and set in (A Bottle in the Gaza Sea)
Turkey -- author from/set in (Snow)
Afghanastan -- set in (The Breadwinner/Parvana's Journey/Kite Runner)
China -- lots
India -- author from (Climbing the Mango Trees)
New Zealand -- author from/set in (Whale Rider)
Australia -- set in (Everything is Beautiful)

Obviously, I should read more from Africa... As for me, personally, I'm not a world traveler. I've been to Canada (I <3 Canada), the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Marshall Islands, Antigua, Bermuda, and St. Martaan on a cruise), and Germany. I'd like to go more places... but that will have to wait until the kids leave, probably.

How about you? Where have you been (either in person or on the page)? Anywhere interesting?

Oh. My. Gods.

by Tara Lynn Childs
ages: 13+
First sentence: "When I'm running, I can almost feel my dad at my side."

beach read: n. A book that is sufficiently fluffy enough to not require thinking while sitting in the hot sand, but fun enough to keep you turning pages.

Oh. My. Gods. = Perfect. Beach. Read.

Think of it as a cross between Maureen Johnson -- our main character, Phoebe, is marooned (of sorts) on a Greek island when her mother remarries, and she has to Figure Out the New Life Changes -- and Rick Riordan -- except the high school she's now attending is populated with descendants of Greek Gods. Sure, all the elements of your usual High School chick fare are there -- snotty Evil Stepsister (they actually call her that) and her snotty cheerleader friends; jerk (but cute) boy with Heart of Gold that she falls for, in spite of her Best Interests; best friends (that Phoebe left behind) that are dying to know What's Going On; new best friend with an Agenda; and the boy, who's just a Friend. But throw in the added element of supernatural powers derived from being related to the Greek gods, a bit of a conflict with new best friend and Jerk Boy, and Phoebe trying figure out her place in the whole scheme of things (like why her down-to-earth therapist mother would run off with a Greek guy in the first place... which was never really explained), and you have enough to sustain a novel. But, really: it's all about the hot guy and the main character getting together. Isn't it?

If you don't expect anything big or grand or life-shattering, it's a fun romp (and an interesting take) through Greek mythology and your general YA romance fare. No, it's not great literature, but it is a lot of fun.

Buy it at Amazon, Powell's, or your local independent bookstore.

Story of a Girl

by Sara Zarr
ages: 14+
First sentence: "

I procrastinated this, because I had no idea what to say.

On the one hand: powerful, powerful story of a girl trying to get past a BIG mistake she made because she was lonely and wanted attention... and the guy told everyone. She the rep now of being the school slut (even though she's never done it with anyone else). To make it worse, her dad can't forgive her, and she can't forgive herself. How does one get past that?

On the other hand: totally and completely depressing. The family is totally messed up, and I wanted to scream at the parents: parent already! Hard to read when you have a 13 year old girl yourself. At times, I found myself crying in frustration and disappointment at how totally wrong ALL their lives had gone. (Then again, that's a sign of a really good story.)

Not exactly a cheerful, take-you-away kind of book. But a good one for discussing.

Buy it at Amazon, Powell's or your local independent bookstore.

Book to Movie Friday: Becoming Jane

I know I talked about this a bit in my review of the book (and technically I shouldn't count it since I saw the movie first, and this breaks the rules I've set up for myself), but I haven't watched a movie adaptation of a book in a while, and I wanted to keep this little feature going.

I should also start with a couple of confessions: I saw this movie when it came out, in the theater, and I liked it from the start. Which means, I'm not a Janeite. For all my love of her novels, I don't mind it when they play with them and interpret the story a bit.

But, as I said in my review of the book, while this is a decent love story (and James McAvoy is quite dreamy), it's not history. The whole Tom LeFroy love angle of the book was a blip, a passing mention. Not much is known about her relationship with him, and even Jon Spence is inferring much from her novel and what is known about both Tom and Jane. There's really not that much there... especially not enough to make a 2 hour movie out of.

That said, I think they did a good job capturing the essence of Jane Austen -- her conflict with propriety, her wit, her observations of people. We know so little about her, that it's fun to infer what she might have been like based on what she did write. And while those inferences probably aren't anywhere near the truth (dang you, Cassandra, for burning all those letters!), that doesn't mean it's not fun to speculate.

Which means, I can't be too upset at all the liberties they took (mixing up times and places and names, creating instances which probably didn't happen). Anne Hathaway did a good job capturing Jane's curiosity with and frustration at the world; James McAvoy was perfect as a foil for her sharp tongue and brilliant mind. Which, for me, is really all you need in a good movie (like this).

Verdict: the movie is a LOT of fun, but check out a biography of her, too.