Open Mike: Five Books To Make You Think

Michel de Montaigne by François Quesnel and
Geoffrey Canada by Marco Grob

Recognize this title? You've seen it before—I stole it from Ctein. I've wanted to write my own take on the idea ever since his column appeared.

I can't speak for Ctein's picks, but my choices are books that will make you think as a side-effect—while you're being entertained. None of these five books are too heavy...depending, of course, on how much thinking they inspire in you. They're books that are deserving of the highest accolade my own writing ever got (from Sally Mann)—they're "tasty."

In no particular order—

Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence by Geoffrey Canada. (The title refers to the increasing lethality of the weapons commonly used in inner-city fights over the years.) You've probably seen Geoffrey Canada on television*—as the Founder of the Harlem Children's Zone, he's become a leading social activist and educator, and he was the kid who was waiting for Superman in the award-winning movie Waiting for Superman. Before all that, however, came this 1995 memoir about what it's like to deal with daily violence while growing up as a poor kid in the inner city (in his case, the South Bronx). Just read the short first chapter about the stolen jacket (which you can do online), and you'll get the measure of this one. It's a wonderful little book, one that I read shortly after it came out (on my brother's recommendation—hi, Scott) and have never forgotten

Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton. (U.K. link; U.K. cover shown.) My favorite book yet from one of my favorite writers. The author freely admits that his title will turn off people on both sides of the debate; atheists will react by saying "but I don't need religion!" and the religious will say, "but I'm not an atheist, so this book isn't for me." But not so fast. The book is an entertaining and enlightening (and dare I say, original) look at the way religion and its institutions function at a social and emotional level to keep communities healthy. Botton, who describes himself as "very respecful [of religion] and [yet] completely impious," necessarily overlooks religion's shortcomings, and some of the "solutions" he offers in the spirit of being helpful are only remotely likely to come about. But those are quibbles here. It's a delightful short read, and if this one doesn't make you think, then...well, you're probably not a thinker. Note that I've linked to the hardcover—that's deliberate. It's a lovely little example of fine bookmaking, and you'd be cheating yourself out of a pretty little artifact for your bookshelf by reading the book (um, like I did) on the Kindle.

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen—who, by the way, looks a bit like Abraham Lincoln might have if he had grown old. This is an almost outlandishly popular book for a history title, having sold more than a million copies since 1995. Intellectually, it's like candy. Just a treat. Every nation has it "mythos"—the inspiring lore that props up its power structure and unifies its citizens, like the "fact" that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree as a boy and then refused to lie about it to his father**—and there's nothing wrong with that on the face of it; peoples and nations need their stories. But the truth behind the stories is often far more fascinating, and, not surprisingly, reflects human nature with greater authenticity. (Note that the readers' reviews on Amazon run on arguably longer than the book itself, and contain every conceivable slant on interpretation. I suggest you just read the book yourself instead; it's easier, and much more fun, and afterwards you can make up your own mind.)

Montaigne: Essays, translated by John M. Cohen. (U.K. link.) Sarah Bakewell's brand spanking new biography of Michel de Montaigne, How to Live, which I loved, has ignited a brushfire of interest in the French philosopher and writer, inventor of the essay and type genus of the reflective introvert. And that got me to thinking about reading Montaigne. Screech, in England, and Frame, in America, are considered the standard translations, and although of course I have the 1300-page Frame tome (doesn't everybody? I can't conceive otherwise), which is always described as "contemporary," it's actually pretty creaky, being as old as I am (vintage 1957), and Frame tries to respect the somewhat unfamiliar diction of Montaigne's 16th-century French. Like most people, I read several of the essays in school, and acquaint myself with one or two more from time to time, and then put the brick back in place up on the shelf. So I did a little readin'n'research, and concluded that the best volume for actually reading Montaigne is John M. Cohen's Penguin Books selected works. Cohen's English has an easy fluency that I find good to read, and, let's face it, you really don't need to read all of Montaigne to get a good idea. Better to read Cohen's selections and Bakewell's biography together. Frame's language, admirable though his translation undoubtedly is, seems halting and a bit opaque by contrast.

Our Inner Ape by Frans de Waal. (U.K. link.) The author looks at human nature through the prism of primatology. Some readers complain that he anthropomorphizes chimpanzees too much, although that might just as well be a function of human beings' extreme reluctance to associate any of our own honored feelings and impulses to animal behavior and instinctual programming. Theory aside—this is a popular book rather than a scientific one—the renowned Dutch ethologist and primatologist is a facile and entertaining writer and a fine storyteller, and at the very least you'll come away from this book having "met" the bonobo as a distinct cousin of the chimps (and of ours), and with a heightened sense and appreciation for the drama of the lives and societies of these amazing creatures. (If you can read the famous story of Luit without emotion, you have a steelier heart than I.) He also really does make you think about our animal nature—however you come down on the issue in your own mind. Not the last word on human nature—what is?—but a rewarding (and thought-provoking) read for sure.

Mike

*Apologies for linking to a right-wing conservative show***.

**Itself an invention, made up by a popular biographer of Washington, Mason Locke Weems, after Washington's death.

***UPDATE Monday the 3rd: 'Kay, so here's the joke. The Colbert Report, the source of that interview link, is a liberal show, but the premise of the show (and the source of much of the show's humor) is that the host is a right-wing demagogue. On the show, part of the gag is that Stephen Colbert, the host, always stays in character. So what I'm doing here, y'see, is continuing the gag, by pretending that I think The Colbert Report actually is a "right-wing conservative show." If I had really linked to a right-wing conservative show, I wouldn't have apologized for it. Because that wouldn't have been funny. Are we clear now? It wasn't my intention here to insult anyone. My mistake, to assume that everyone would know the premise of that show. Incorrect assumption, it turns out.

"Open Mike" is a series of off-topic posts by Yr. Hmbl. Host that appears only, but not always, on Sundays.

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Featured Comment by Dave: "Great list Mike. Lies My Teacher Told Me has been on my night stand for over a year. Maybe I'll finally pick it up. While your on the subject of books that make you think I'd like to suggest Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny by Robert Wright. Nonzero really changed the way I think about world history and human relations. To me, Nonzero was just as big of a mental bombshell as Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel."

Featured Comment by valerie: "Have you seen Sacred Economics? Charles Eisenstein...if not check it out!"

Featured Comment by Ed Kirkpatrick: "Might I suggest, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt? 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction; 2011 National Book Award for Non-Fiction. Couldn't put this one down...."

Mike replies: Great minds think alike; it's on my bedside table.

Comments

[John Krumm]

Lies My Teacher Told Me is a fantastic book, one of my favorites. His followup Lies Across America was interesting but not in the same class. If you closely read Lies, Zinn's A People's History of The United States, and a few classic Chomsky books, well, you will be forever changed.

[Tom Judd]

*Apologies for linking to a right-wing conservative show.

Would you also apologize for linking to a left-wing liberal show?

[Stan B.]

"Compliance" is not a book, but a recent film that viewers walked out on during screenings because- "people can't be that stupid." While watching it, I thought the director had taken "artistic license" several times simply to advance the original premise of the escalating storyline. Was therefore quite surprised to discover just how faithful the movie reproduced the actual facts of the case(s), while providing ample room for thought on authority and humanity.

[Ken James]

I went for the Alain De Botton, I have watched him on TED.

[Mike Johnston]

"Would you also apologize for linking to a left-wing liberal show?"

Is this a riddle? [g]

Mike

[Grizzlymarmot]

Montaigne is the first blogger so it is no surprise that you have chosen his works. Since we live in post-modern times, he must have already written an essay about important books - and indeed that is the case.
"Whenever I ask a certain acquaintance of mine to tell me what he knows about anything, he wants to show me a book: he would not venture to tell me he has scabs on his arse without studying his lexicon to find the meanings of scab and arse" - from Du Pédantisme

[Peter Croft]

I'm impressed that you read so much and so widely. I seem to only have time for the computer/web/applications and just living.

For you aviation+tech fiends, may I recommend QF32 by Richard de Crespigny (MacMillan). It's the captain's story of the Airbus A380 engine explosion over Singapore in 2009. I'm part way in, but I'm riveted.

It's not cerebral, but it's inspirational. You're in safe hands on QANTAS.

[MJFerron]

Put an order in for Lies My Teacher Told Me. Hardcover was only a few bucks more. Looks like my kind of book.

[hugh Crawford]

I always thought that Colbert is a "right-wing conservative show" same way "The Borgias" is a Catholic show.

[Ed]

Read Benjamin Barbers "consumed" Mike......it will explain all you're wants and cravings and make you human again....now be carefull, humans arn't that welcome in a civilisation run by consumers, but hey I guess you don't mind living to your own drum, do you?

Greets, Ed.

[Paris]

You're gonna get it from both sides for the Colbert comment.
[g]

[ctein]

Dear TJ,

Abstract answer: As the sole proprietor and editor, Mike is under no obligation nor expectation to be, in any way, impartial, unbiased, even-handed, nor unopinionated.

Concrete answer: Truly you have failed to grasp the nature of the situation.

Moral: Link before you leap.

pax / Ctein

[ctein]

Dear Mike (you thief, you),

Thanks for the recommendation of Religion for Atheists. I'd had that work recommended to me by others and I'd, well, ignored it, because the title induced me to think the book was some flip and superficial take on the subject. Your description of it makes it sound very worth my while. Seems like it would make a good intellectual companion to God's Mechanics, seeing as they are both most fundamentally sociological books.

pax / Ctein
==========================================
-- Ctein's Online Gallery http://ctein.com
-- Digital Restorations http://photo-repair.com
==========================================

[Huw Williams]

Thanks, I've just ordered Montaigne and Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun which is unavailable via Amazon UK except through marketplace sellers. The reading stack is growing faster than I can get through it - I'm still engrossed in Jane Eyre, slow reader that I am. It would help if TOP was a bit less prolific...130 odd comments on bonding or not with your camera took a fair bit of reading, interesting though it was!

[Nico]

Dear Mike,

Please mind: it is Frans de Waal, same as Michel de Montaigne.

The Dutch are, of course, a curious lot, yet our names are spelled very much in the tradition of other European nations. Suffixes »de« and »van« are always written/printed lowercase, just as the »de« & »de la« in French/Spanish/Italian names or the »von« in German names.

For some mysterious reason people in the U.S. and Canada think otherwise, and come up with monstrosities like Vincent Van Gogh (and consequently index the poor bloke under »V« instead of »G«). What have we done to deserve this fate?

Kind regards,
Nico,
Amsterdam.

[Kelvin Skewes]

Logic keeps on turning on itself like a Klein Bottle as I think about this, the Colbert Report is a left-wing liberal show that satirizes conservatives by masquerading as a right-wing show. I don't know if Michael knows this, therefore I am unable to ascertain whether his apology itself is sincere or satirical.

[Player]

"*Apologies for linking to a right-wing conservative show."

I'm not offended Mike. I know you didn't think that; somebody else thought that.

[dan]

off-off-topic: if anyone can explain to me how ON EARTH can the price of a Kindle edition be higher than paperback maybe I'll buy one of these books on Kindle...

[Ed Hawco]

Along the lines of "Religion for Athiests," I listened to an hour long interview yesterday with A.C. Grayling, author of "The Good Book: A Humanist Bible." It's essentially a secular bible, consisting of the same basic lessons in ethics and morality as the conventional one but it draws from writings of the great rationalists and ethicists throughout history instead of the "word of God."

http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-Book-Humanist-Bible/dp/0802717373/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346681750&sr=8-1&keywords=a.c.+grayling

I haven't yet read it, but I plan to.

The interview I listened to can be found on the CBC web site, here: http://www.cbc.ca/tapestry/episode/2012/08/31/ac-graying---a-few-good-words/

[Mike Johnston]

"explain to me how ON EARTH can the price of a Kindle edition be higher than paperback"

Dan,
See Seven Deadly Sins, #2?

Mike

[John Lloyd]

I greatly enjoyed "How to live" - many thanks for the suggestion! I also decided to read the essays, and got the Kindle editions of the Cotton translation into English (18th century and definitely past its sell-by date) and a recent translation into modern French which is far better - this as part of my current project to improve my French. Montaigne must have been a fascinating character, considering the times he lived in. Thus stimulated, I just ordered "Lies my Teacher told me".

[Steve Rosenblum]

A second vote for "The Swerve" by Greenblatt. I am halfway through it now. Very stimulating read.

[James B]

Interesting on the politics (ie linking to a right wing talk show).

As it happens, not being American nor exposed daily to the American media, I have no idea whether this Colbert is left or right, or purple spotted. Never heard of him (or her).

I am aware of the TOP commenting policy, in which it is quite clear that our host does not want TOP to be dragged into politics. And I fully agree, there is enough about this world that makes my blood boil and enough outlets for me to demonstrate my blood boiling. Once (maybe twice) Mike has given me individually or us collectively a warning on some particular topic. So I try to comment on a path of total neutrality.

But... Mike's apologia. It seems to me to demonstrate some partiality, at least in principle. I would really really hate it if TOP became a site like the British Guardian newspaper / website, in which every shade of opinion in between socialist and serious fruit loop was welcome, so long as the serious fruit loopery was to the left of socialism. And that is also acknowledging that the right equally have their serious fruit loops (I am convinced the political spectrum is not a straight line in 2-D, but in fact some form of Mobius loop in which the real nutters on both ends of the spectrum are indeed arguing the same thing while stabbing each other).

[ctein]

Dear Mike,

Jokes or no jokes, regardless of which way the apology swings...

Any reader who thinks YOU need to give a fair shake to THEIR politics in YOUR magazine, of which you are the sole Editor and Publisher, is not getting it.

You may well feel, as a matter of propriety that THEY (and your authors) are permitted to express their politics, unsullied, in the venues that YOU provide THEM (namely, comments and other people's columns). But YOU are not required, by any stretch of the imagination to be "fair and balanced" unless that actually reflects how you feel. And you should not do that unless it is a truthful reflection.

A reader who cannot accept this is best served by looking for publications that honestly cater to their personal whims and biases.

pax / Ctein

[Mike Johnston]

Kelvin completely got it the way it was intended. [g]

Mike

[Matthew Miller]

Mike: a book recommendation based on Religion for Atheists: Reason, Faith, and Revolution by Terry Eagleton.

[Chris Bertram]

Strongly recommend Duncan J. Watts's Everything is Obvious * Once You Know the Answer: How Common Sense Fails Us. Popular sociology written by someone with a natural science background. Very good at explaining how and why the social world is as unpredictable as it is.