Confessions of a Yakuza
On my 2 hour commutes I managed to power through this biographical yarn of an old school Yakuza boss who got into the business at the age of 16 back in the early 1900s. "
Confessions of a Yakuza", originally titled "A Gambler's Tale", written by the Japanese doctor
Junichi Saga.
Expressed as a narrative of reminiscent memories delivered to Dr. Saga who is looking after him in his old age, we get to see an interesting first person account not only of the Yakuza world, but also of the day to day life of ordinary Japanese before, during, and after the second world war. As in
Korea and her Neigbours, I find the mundane details quite fascinating.
It definitely is not full of the type of Yakuza cliches presented in movies and comic books, and was a very interesting read.
Labels: book
The Night Side of Seoul - 1898
What I'm reading now, thanks to the magic of
Google books: An account from a European lady who travelled to Korea back in 1898. As you can see in the passage above, men will always find a way to chat up the ladies, even if that means impersonating blind men during the 4 hour "women only" window of night.
Korea and Her Neighbors: A Narrative of Travel By Isabella Lucy BirdSeveral things strike me when reading this narrative. First, this is an amazing account written by a woman who definitely caught an interesting look at a Korea of 110 years ago - an undeveloped country no more today. Second, the lack of "political correctness" and glaring dismissal of "orientals", "coolies", and the like. Third, she definitely did not give Korean food a fair chance! How dare she call my beloved
doenjang "fermented rotten beans"!? Fermented yes, but hardly rotten.
Labels: book
Mountain View, Tokyo, and Baghdad
Over the last couple of months I have read through some interesting books. One fiction, and two non.
The first book I read after getting a job down in Silicon Valley was "
The Google Story" by David Vise. It was interesting to learn about the history and origins of Google and its founders, and follow it through to where it is today. It was an easy read and I would recommend it if you are interested in the company, but otherwise pass.
The second book I read was "
After Dark" by one of my favourite authors, Haruki Murakami. I was really excited to get into it after the great experience I had with his "Kafka on the Shore". It was a pleasure to read but unfortunately I didn't realize that it was simply a short story and not a proper novel. The way he wrote the book, you are thrust into a particular night in Tokyo and observe until day breaks. It was really interesting but unsatisfying as well, since the interesting plot doesn't reach a conclusion overnight. I recommend it as a neat experience, so definitely try to borrow or rent it.
The third book I read was "
The Fall of Baghdad" by Jon Anderson. It covers the period of time leading up to and including the second gulf war. What is interesting is that it is a first hand account from Jon himself while he was staying in the country as a journalist. I found it a long read (I am still working on the 60 page epilogue) but it gave me access to viewpoints that would be very difficult to find anywhere else.
Labels: book
Aquariums of Pyongyang
I recently finished reading this terrific account of a horrible tale. A Korean family leaves their wealthy lives in Japan to help build the ideal communist state in North Korea. Unfortunately the new state is suspicious of the family and quickly forces them into a
forced labour camp.
Aquariums of Pyongyang, an account taken from a defector from North Korea who was sent to the gulag at age 9, is rich in detail and pulls no punches. It is very informative, but it also reads with a good flow that tells a proper story.
While not recommendable as a feel-good bed-time story, it satisfied my interests to learn more about this tightly guarded kingdom.
For extra points, here is some secret video footage on youtube showing the camp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN0xQByxwxkLabels: book
Cubicle to Corner Office
On my last business trip I had a lot of time en route to read, and I made short work of this book. "
How to get from Cubicle to Corner Office" is full of plain talk and common sense, backed up the anecdotes and real world experience of Joel Weiss, author and successful executive.
The book is very well organized and gets down to brass tacks immediately. Each chapter spans just 4 to 8 pages, including a single page summary of the chapter. The end of the book summarizes the salient points from each chapter neatly over 3 pages.
An example of the summary from the chapter entitled "Be a Doer, Not a Just Talker":
"Step forward, volunteer, commit, and then do it. Many people talk and promise, but few actually deliver. If you do, you will stand out from the crowd."I picked it up on sale at Indigo for less than $10, and although the advice may seem obvious, it called a few things out to me that I realize I could improve about myself.
For a "how to be successful" book, I was most impressed that it wasn't trying to sell any cheesy tricks or "new paradigms". It simply has good advice that is easy to understand, but takes effort and discipline to follow.
Labels: book
Ghost Wars
Some books are easy reads, and others are difficult reads. Ghost Wars is definitely a difficult read. At Christmas 2005, I received Ghost Wars, and I just finished it on my way back from Seattle. I wasn't able to read it continuously because it took a good deal of conscious effort to keep all the Afghani and Arabian names (of both places and people) straight. Thus it was a long term companion on all of my business trips, and now as I pack for another trip I feel strange not placing this tome in my carry-on bag.
Ghost Wars by
Steve Coll is a very in depth and extremely detailed examination of the history of Afghanistan from the Russian invasion to September 10, 2001. There are hundreds of footnotes, often several per paragraph, backing up the facts laid out with various sources. There are a large cast of characters that weave their way in and out of the military and political conflicts that result in the Afghanistan of today. It was enlightening and I feel much more understanding of the complex obstacles and challenges faced in the region.
Don't be scared off from this book. If you can get past the foreign names this is the best chance you have of understanding what happened. Aren't you curious how the Taliban managed to stay in power as long as they did, why Pakistan didn't more actively suppress terrorists operating within and around its borders, and who Hamid Karzai really is?
Labels: book
Kafka on the Shore
Kafka on the Shore, by
Haruki Murakami. I finished it on the plane ride over to England, and I'm still wanting more. I really got into the book and with the great writing style I was easily able to "see" everything through Kafka's eyes. It was like reading a dream - a weird one - but all my dreams are.
It covers a 15 year old boy who runs away from home, and ends up discovering that he is deeply tied to a mysterious event that occurred during World War II.
There are elements of sex, suspense, humour, but not so much action. It had just enough other-worldly stuff thrown in to keep you wondering what could possibly happen next but not so much that you lost all immersion in the story's world. The characters were very interesting and unique (like the pretty-boy man who is mentally a gay man and physically a woman).
My next book will probably be non-fiction. I brought a huge university text-book sized livre with me. Something about technology taking over the world or something.
Labels: book
Freakonomics
On a recent set of flights I had a lot of time on my hands, and although I carry around an iPod nano with gigs of music and podcasts, and two (2) handheld entertainment systems (a GBA and a DS), I still find that my attention is usually focused on the printed word.
Books (and newspapers) have many advantages over the other competitors for my time. First, and perhaps the most relevant, a book does not pose a threat to aircraft lift-off or landing and thus I'm free to use it at ALL times. Second, there is no dependency on battery life. Third, well, except for some educational podcasts, I feel more satisfied after finishing a book. It's almost like I've learned something, and LIKED it. Yes, actually I suppose it is exactly like that.
The first book that I completed was
Freakonomics, a book where an unlikely duo (one writer - the voice, and one economist - the brains) collaborate to explain how economics drive our behaviour. In this case, economics boils down to our actions under the presence of certain incentives or environmental factors.
For example, a swimming pool in your backyard is more dangerous to your child than a gun in your house, the pyramid nature of drug dealing: most drug dealers make less than they could at McDonalds and continue to live with their parents, the steep decline in violent crime after abortion is legalized: less babies born in "high-risk" environments that often result in growing up as a criminal, and even the WWE nature of Sumo battles: despite the honour and strong traditions, the outcomes of the matches are often pre-determined.
The way Steven and Stephen dissect complex systems and use statistics and logic to explain the reason things are the way they are is surprisingly exciting. I didn't think I was in for such an enthralling read but I burned through it within a couple hours.
Check it out if you've wondered what happens with an uneducated minority in the USA decides to name one son "Loser" and the other "Winner", what's in a name? Would your daughter have a better chance getting a job if you named her "Emily" or "Janaeeesha"? Heck, one woman in California named her baby boy "Shithead", pronounced "Sha-thay-ad".
The statistically backed up answer: A name, no matter how stupid sounding, doesn't affect you nearly as much as how stupid the parents are that raise you; usually the stupider the baby name, the stupider the parents. That makes sense.
The second book (which I had to pick up for my trip back) is only half-finished at present, but it has me by the short and curlies - to be willfully crude. It is a wonderfully surreal story that becomes more dream like and intertwined as it unfolds. The allusions from the three inner "stories" to each other makes me wonder which is the dream and which is the reality being reflected and interpreted by the dream.
Kafka on the Shore, by
Haruki Murakami. I'm loving every page, from the titilating details of Kafka Tamura's horny thoughts (hey he's 15... ok he's a guy) to the cute ramblings of an old man who thinks he can talk with cats. And I definitely will be checking out some of his other works, as well as some of the more traditionally respected pieces (various philosophy books - some by Franz Kafka) he alludes to in his own novel.
It makes me think back to when
Derelict (
this one,
not this one) and I were working on our own novels... of course they were probably the stereotypical fantasy hack-slash "Dragonlance" wannabe, but I read Derelict's stuff and I read my stuff, and I thought it was good. I think I'd write something different now though. Probably something with more work-life and travelling thrown in.
EDIT: I just realized that Haruki Murakami is the same author of another favorite book of mine, Pinball 1973! -
available in PDF format here (and only 80 pages long)
An unfortunate fact is that it is almost impossible to obtain a tangible version of this book anymore. I searched around and see copies going for $300 and up. The first time I read it, I was in university and my Japanese tutor had a copy which he was using to study English. I borrowed it from him and couldn't help but enjoy the twin girls the main character sleeps with (at the same time!) for much of the book.
See, twins! You have to read it now!
Labels: book
A Short History of Nearly Everything
It has been a while since
my last set of mini book reviews, but I have finished reading two more non-fiction books and I'm ready to give my take on them.
First up is Bill Bryson's "
A Short History of Nearly Everything". I finished this one on my way back from Las Vegas, and I was surprised how easily I covered vast tracts it at a time. Bill's writing style is very conversational and when something technical comes up he uses a variety of approachable methods to reach a wide range of readers. For instance, although not necessarily useful for my fellow esteemed high school graduates, he explains scientific notation in a rather lengthy footnote. I think that part of the reason it works so well is that he is admittedly not the most scientifically or mathematically minded and so he speaks in "common".
Another way that he helps keep the book flowing as he covers everything from plate tectonics to gravity to inner and outer nuclear forces is that he weaves a narrative with the major scientific players of the ages and freely adds dashes of flavour text about their personal lives, eccentricities, and relationships with other players - whether they be friends or enemies.
The second book (that I finished a month or two ago) is Joel Bakan's "
The Corporation". This book has been used as the basis of a movie (which I haven't seen), but it is an amazing and frightening (although very short) read. It shows just how dangerously powerful we are allowing the "virtual-person" entity, aka a corporation, to become.
Entry after entry, the evidence of the corrupt and maniacal practices of corporations is listed in detail. Thankfully I didn't see my employer listed, but in essence corporations can't help it. They are required by law to do anything (whether illegal or not) that can increase their profits for their shareholders. Something to think about, and I'm glad that Canada has already undertaken efforts to reduce the lobbying power of corporations in Canada.
I would recommend both of these books, but the first one was by far the more compelling of the two.
Labels: book
The Game: A must read
Aside from the heavy work schedule I have been under the last week, I took the time to *not* play my DS, and instead, brace yourself, read books. The first book I read from cover to cover on my trip, loving every minute of it, was "
The Game". At first it comes across as a bible for how to pick up chicks, with tips on approach strategies, how to ditch the cock-block, and number close the deal. And damnit, that did lure me in, but what followed was a hilarious recount (keep in mind this book is non-fiction) of the author and his exploits over 2 years as he learned from and hung out with the pro PUAs and their various misadventures.
The next book (of which, admittedly, I still have 30 more pages to go) was "
North Korea Another Country". We have all been exposed to the propaganda that North Korea is a crazy rogue state with Stalin-1984 trappings. Well this book is the result of extensive research by "America's leading historian and political analyst of contemporary Korea" and it sets the story straight. I don't remember learning any details of the Korean War in school, and the media doesn't do us any favours either. The truth, detailed over several hundred pages filled with hundreds of footnotes (over 30 pages are dedicated to references), illustrates why North Korea is in the position it is now, and just how belligerent the United States has been on the Korean peninsula.
I'm getting hooked on reading books, it's so satisfying, and it's so portable. Amazing invention, the printed word is.
Oh and yes, I am back.
Labels: book
On my 2 hour commutes I managed to power through this biographical yarn of an old school Yakuza boss who got into the business at the age of 16 back in the early 1900s. "Confessions of a Yakuza", originally titled "A Gambler's Tale", written by the Japanese doctor Junichi Saga.
