 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
« |
March 2004 |
» |
|
|
|
Su |
|
M |
|
T |
|
W |
|
Th |
|
F |
|
Sa |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
2 |
|
3 |
|
4 |
|
5 |
|
6 |
|
|
|
7 |
|
8 |
|
9 |
|
10 |
|
11 |
|
12 |
|
13 |
|
|
|
14 |
|
15 |
|
16 |
|
17 |
|
18 |
|
19 |
|
20 |
|
|
|
21 |
|
22 |
|
23 |
|
24 |
|
25 |
|
26 |
|
27 |
|
|
|
28 |
|
29 |
|
30 |
|
31 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Lets face it, we all have a list of books we think our friends should read. This is where my friends and I share our picks for what should be on your book shelf.
archives
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Blogroll me or use the image below to link back to this area of my site.
|
|
|
|
What website wouldn't have a links page? Come see a few of my favorite places to kill time. Serious linkage ahead.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/29/2004 9:45:05 AM
Uniforms
title: Uniforms : Why We Are What We Wear
author: Paul Fussell
i read and reviewed paul fusell's class not too long ago. although i wasn't knocked off my socks by the book, i decided to give him another shot. after all, he is supposed to be a great social critic, not that i would know of such things.
anyway, i love symbolism and look for it everywhere so i was hoping to be wowed by uniforms. after all, who doesn't have some sort of fascination with what people choose to wear?
so i dove into the book which wasn't hard since it was a light read. too light in fact. the book was divided into many one page chapters that basically described a uniform or uniform type and then glossed over some meanings or social rationalizations for that outfit. the commentary that wasn't spent describing the uniform itself was spent outlining mr. fussell's personal biases.
the book needed more meat to it. i could have used fewer musings on why shoulder pads and epaulets enforced the masculine ideal of big shoulders (no, duh!) and a bit more on why folks identified so strongly with their uniforms, as mr. fussell attests to over and over. this book certainly did not answer the question "why we are what we wear."
i'm not an advocate of not reading any book but i would recomment not spending the money on this one. borrow it from a library -- you'll definitely be done with it in a week and not have to pay any late fees.
link | comments on "Uniforms"
[0]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/2/2004 1:56:44 PM
Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs
title: Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs
author: Cheryl Peck
i picked up fat girls and lawn chairs at coliseum books, an independent book store, near my office. which means (significant pause) that i actually went and paid full-price for a book. which i read. and enjoyed. and it was worth every penny.
fat girls and lawn chairs is a collection of somewhat autobiographical essays by author cheryl peck. the essays are short, entertaining, often laugh out loud funny, and touching all at the same time. her obvious love and affection for her parents, sisters, babycakes her cat, and her beloved shine through in all her words. a self-described large gay woman living in the mid-west, her stories are easily relatable to by all. her sense of humor is wry and her wit is dry and self-confident. there's no self-effacement here. instead, her book exudes confidence in herself and she has a strong writing voice.
two thumbs up on this one.
link | comments on "Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs"
[2]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1/20/2004 3:16:27 PM
class
title: Class: A Guide Through the American Status System
author: Paul Fussell
yes, virginia, class exists in the united states, although many people would like to believe it doesn't. class affects how you get treated everywhere -- from the hospital, to the jeweler, to the green grocer. class is immediately perceived by those around you, whom will pigeonhole you according to how you dress and speak. all of which are "facts" of which i have been aware since i was a little girl. my family was as class-conscious as they come and i still have a lot of those traits and mannerisms that show exactly where i came from (e.g. inability to make direct eye contact when speaking to people perceived as superior to me, etc.).
in class, paul fussell goes about dispelling the myth of the united states being a classless society. biting and sardonic, the author exposes the caste system of the u.s. -- caste because you are born into your class and can't get out, according to him. breaking down the system past the usual upper, middle and lower, fussell introduces a more complex system consisting of nine subdivisions, the ultimate desire for those but the very richest being to become upper middle class.
the author then goes about defining what makes each class what it its -- from shopping habits to the way they decorate their homes to their manner of speaking. a lot of time is spent on outlining differences, often in a somewhat harsh and pointed manner, but the book is a generally good sociological study. there are, though, a few instances (e.g. the chapter on education) where the authors seems to contradict himself and has to bend over backwards to keep his "theme" together.
the only other unfortuate thing about this book is that its outdated. it was written in the early eighties, so many of the examples given reflect that particular era and way of being. looking around me, i can see that things have changed since then, and this book would fare better if it were updated to reflect modern times.
link | comments on "class"
[0]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- past | future +
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
