Some book reviews...

So my last entry was typed up rather quickly. I had to go to the bathroom SO BADLY and of course, there were no bathrooms to be found, and I would have to take a 20 minute bus back to my community and walk 5 minutes to my house to use that one. So, I typed up everything SUPER fast (without re-reading as I normally do) and posted. I realize that I introduced a couple of things in the introduction and then said nothing more about them, like the 2 books I've recently finished reading: Ishmael and The Story of B.

When I found out I was leaving for Peace Corps, my friend Naveen said, "You should read Ishmael before you go." So I did. Reading is fun. Everyone does it. But I have to say, these 2 books are amazing. Really, when you finish with them (The Story of B more so than Ishmael in my opinion), you look at the world differently. So, if any of you have some free time and would like to read up, check them out. I definitely recommend reading Ishmael before The Story of B, though.

A BIT ABOUT ISHMAEL
From www.ishmael.org, I found the following information that might inspire you to read the book (in case my recommendation isn't reason enough):

Mr. Quinn is best known as the author of Ishmael, the novel that in 1991 won the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship, established to encourage authors to seek "creative and positive solutions to global problems." Ishmael has been in print continuously since its publication in 1992 and is currently available in twenty languages. Thoroughout the U.S. and Canada and in other countries as well, Ishmael is used as a text in a broad range of classes that include anthropology, ecology, history, literature, philosophy, ethics, biology, and psychology, at age levels from middle school through graduate level.

What others have said about it:

"From now on I will divide the books I have read into two categories -- the ones I read before Ishmael and those read after."
-- Jim Britell, Whole Earth Review

"A thoughtful, fearlessly low-key novel about the role of our species in the planet... laid out for us with an originality and a clarity that few would deny."
-- The New York Times Book Review

"...Suspenseful, inventive and socially urgent as any fiction or nonfiction book you are likely to read this or any other year."
-- The Austin Chronicle

"... fascinating... Quinn's smooth style and his intriguing proposals should hold the attention of readers interested in daunting dilemmas that beset our planet."
-- Publishers Weekly

If you're interested in reading more about The Story of B, click here.