How To Write a Simple Book Review: It’s easier than you think by Allyson R. Abbott My rating: 3 of 5 stars I picked up this book in an attempt to master the art of writing book reviews further. This is a hobby of mine, and I like to practice it in combination with my “day job” of computer programming. This “indie” author provides an introduction to book reviewing. It reads conversationally – in a…
Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is essentially about how to promote yourself in the world of the Internet generally and of social media specifically. If you are not comfortable with self-promotion, I would recommend against reading this book. If you want to learn how to have a bigger voice in the world, this book is for you. In particular, those interested in…
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton My rating: 5 stars This book tells the story of apartheid in South Africa. It tells an eye-opening and beautiful tale in succinct and beautiful English. I read this 300-page book in about 24 hours because I enjoyed it so much. I appreciate Paton’s short sentences that communicate well through good verbs. The book is divided into three parts, each with its own focus. Written in 1948, it…
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood My rating: 4 of 5 stars This dystopian story tells is exceedingly odd – which Atwood turns into a strength of the book. In it, the entire legislative and executive branch is killed in a mass execution on Presidents’ Day. The Constitution is suspended, and the country is transformed into a country called “Gilead.” Pollution reigns, and women are oppressed into being valued only for their sexual organs. Sexual…
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book, spanning almost 200 pages, is one large poem. It is divided into chapters and memorializes myths from Native American tribes in mid-western North America. It is entertaining and, like much of Longfellow’s poetry, highlights the unique nature of the United States. It portrays America as a land overflowing with natural resources and with a history that is also deep…
Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan My rating: 0 of 5 stars Bob Dylan is perhaps the best popular American songwriter/poet in the past century. Dylan, as he admits in this memoir/autobiography, was not the best student in high school, but he taught himself how to write by imitating the lyrical and musical work of the best folk artists of the day. Although Dylan is known for his social conscience, in this work, he eschews…
Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War by Paul Scharre My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book, written by a non-technologist with extensive military experience, describes the intersection of artificial intelligence with United States military affairs. It uses terms like “autonomy” and “semi-autonomy” extensively. Autonomous weapons are weapons that can identify their own targets. Semi-autonomous weapons can track pre-identified targets (that is, targets previously identified by humans). Semi-autonomous weapons are currently…
Theories of Career Development by Samuel H. Osipow My rating: 3 of 5 stars This textbook provides a summary of the field of career development theories in psychological and occupational practice. I read it because I am working with a career-development group in my work, and I wanted a summary of where the field has been in the past. This book’s primary audience is twofold: career counselors and researchers. As such, it summarizes the progression…
Foundation by Isaac Asimov My rating: 3 of 5 stars Asimov is obviously quite brilliant. His books took a “quantum leap” forward in the integration of science and literature in the 1950s. His success can be seen in the fact that his books do not seem all that impressive today. Indeed, stories about nuclear power, holograms, and power through knowledge are normal today – thanks in no small part to books like the Foundation. Like…
Platform: The Art and Science of Personal Branding by Cynthia Johnson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Johnson claims expertise in the field of digital marketing. Working in the world of software and playing in the world of writing, I can benefit from learning how to leverage the digital world in better selling myself and my work. This book certainly taught me a few things. For one, Johnson is great at analyzing how to take…