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An interesting book popped up recently called "Mary's Mosaic".
It's a look at some aspects of the era of Camelot.
Author Peter Janney was reared in troubled times.
An earlier look at the same topic was published by Nina Burleigh but
that seemed to be a "limited hangout".
Well worth perusing.
The shocking story of one of the few people born in a North Korean political prison to have escaped and survived.
North Korea is isolated and hungry, bankrupt and belligerent. It is also armed with nuclear weapons. Between 150,000 and 200,000 people are being held in its political prison camps, which have existed twice as long as Stalin's Soviet gulags and twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. Very few born and raised in these camps have escaped. But Shin Donghyuk did.
In Escape from Camp 14, acclaimed journalist Blaine Harden tells the story of Shin Dong-hyuk and through the lens of Shin's life unlocks the secrets of the world's most repressive totalitarian state. Shin knew nothing of civilized existence-he saw his mother as a competitor for food, guards raised him to be a snitch, and he witnessed the execution of his own family. Through Harden's harrowing narrative of Shin's life and remarkable escape, he offers an unequaled inside account of one of the world's darkest nations and a riveting tale of endurance, courage, and survival.
So far, just riveting. Really, really thought provoking, and humbling.
The north korean state is a gangster state.
It's a mansion full of many rooms.
If the Chinese powers that be don't control this kind
of stuff , it will sooner or later bite them painfully.
Currently reading The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura, translated from the Japanese by Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates. I seem to be drawn to Japanese mystery novels. I don’t know why. Maybe it's because they seem more pyschological, more Dostoevskian. This one is viewed through the eyes of a Tokyo pickpocket. Lots of information on the art and history of pickpocketing. Fascinating.
Just finished Whale Rider, which was charming and atmospheric. Gonna see if my high school students like it--I have a bunch of Tongans and Samoans, so I figure they might enjoy the Polynesian nod.
James A. Michener has a lot to say about local cultural differences in his book
"Tales of the South Pacific"
The Polynesian language is the most widely dispersed in the largest and most
recently occupied region on Earth.
The ability to make ceramics is a clue to cultural origins.
"Re-reading" is a theme for me this year, as I am alternating between books I read and enjoyed in the past, and new ones. I just finished re-reading Rupert Holmes's second mystery novel, "Swing," which is set on Treasure Island (built for the Golden Gate International Exposition, held in 1939-1940 in SF Bay), and interweaves the coming war with Germany & Japan, the afore-mentioned exposition, secret codes and big-band music (including selections on a CD written to accompany the story). (Info on Treasure Island here.)
Not sure what will be next - there are about eight books on the "pick me next!" pile, the only potential re-read being the complete "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series - but a likely contender is the new-to-paperback "In The Garden Of Beasts" by Eric Larson stay tuned...
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