The U.S. Constitution by the U.S. Founding Fathers - PPP

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The U.S. Constitution by the U.S. Founding Fathers - PPP

In defense of her support of Donald Trump, a white female relative of mine who lives in the great state of Ohio began by saying, “I believe in the Constitution.”

This struck me as something that people say to sound patriotic without really saying anything at all, so I decided to go back and read the document in full to see if it’s really that admirable and inspiring, or whether my relative was simply using that line to defend the indefensible.

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The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - PP

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The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - PP

Note: This is not a comedy but it’s so ubiquitous that I had to review it.

The Alchemist can be summed up using Coelho’s own words when he has one of his characters sum up a certain book that the protagonist is reading when they meet.

“‘It’s a book that says the same thing almost all the other books in the world say,’ continued the old man. ‘It describes people’s inability to choose their own Personal Legends.’” By this he means people’s inability to follow their hearts and dreams.

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The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku - PPPP

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The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku - PPPP

Note: This is not a comedy but I hope you will enjoy the review.

The Future of the Mind is like a rare textbook that is so interesting, informative, and thought-provoking that you’d read it even if you weren’t taking the class.*

Beginning with a brief introduction to the human brain – “the most complex object in the solar system” –  it moves on to cover an array of intriguing cognitive-related territory from the state of neuroscience today to the possibilities of tomorrow.

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Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - P

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Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - P

Disclaimer: I did not read the entire book because it sucks. I made it about 40% of the way through and I am kicking myself for not flushing this steaming pile of poop at the 5% mark. I want my time back!

Blood Meridian is a story about … ummmmm … urrrrrrrr … I don’t know what this story is about. Some kid with a few guys and a spattering of mans rambling through some part of the US or Mexico or a post-apocalyptic Australian desert seeing scores of gruesome, pointless scenes of violence, inhumanity, and death.

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As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - P

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As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - P

According to the back of the book, As I Lay Dying tells the story of a family carting the coffin of Addie Bundren to Jefferson, Mississippi to bury her among her people.

For the most part, the garbled chapters are told by her family members who apparently suffer from severe retardation and are unable to put together coherent thoughts. I had to read the Cliffs Notes to try to get a sense of what was going on, which is like having to learn an artist’s life story in order to appreciate one of his works. This is not a good thing.

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