What Are You Reading?

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Originally Posted by Angry

The Warpath, it's a collection of opinions contributed by redskins fans from around the world. Some of the authors are a bit rough around the edges, but its a good read for the most part.

Took my idea

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Angry

The Warpath, it's a collection of opinions contributed by redskins fans from around the world. Some of the authors are a bit rough around the edges, but its a good read for the most part.

lol good one

[SC Skins Fan]

As of this minute I am reading A Republic in Time: Temporality and Social Imagination in Nineteenth-Century America by Thomas M. Allen. I wouldn't recommend it for light reading, I'm struggling with it personally ... but since you asked ....

I also just finished Thomas Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas?, which is directed at a more popular audience. More descriptive than analytical and I found it particularly lacking in its historical analysis of the 'Backlash' ideology that he describes, but as a description of the de-coupling of economic class from politics and his characterization of contemporary Kansas as a case of 1890's Populism turned on it's head I found it compelling (though he perhaps takes an overly romantic view of Populism by avoiding - as he does throughout the book - any discussion of race).

If you are interested in making a foray into academic history and also wanted to read about football there is a professor at Oregon State, Michael Oriard, who has written a number of books on the subject. His latest is recently out from UNC Press entitled Brand NFL: Making and Selling America's Favorite Sport, which I gather is a cultural history of consumerism and the evolution of the NFL image. He has some other work on early popular presentations of the sport in newspapers and newsreels. I think I have most of his books checked out from the library, but have not actually read any of them so I can't give a personal opinion but would be interested what others thought if they got a chance to read any of them ... would even be up for discussing any of them as it would give me an excuse to pick one up and read it.

[70Chip]

Originally Posted by SC Skins Fan

I also just finished Thomas Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas?, which is directed at a more popular audience. More descriptive than analytical and I found it particularly lacking in its historical analysis of the 'Backlash' ideology that he describes, but as a description of the de-coupling of economic class from politics and his characterization of contemporary Kansas as a case of 1890's Populism turned on it's head I found it compelling (though he perhaps takes an overly romantic view of Populism by avoiding - as he does throughout the book - any discussion of race).

I take it Frank makes the case that issues like abortion have distracted ordinary Americans from voting their economic interest. They have been deceived into thinking that social issues are more important than financial ones. But, couldn't one also make the case that the Democratic Party has decided that abortion, homosexual rights, etc are more important to them than the economic interests of Middle America? It seems to me that he is letting one side off of the hook too easily. But, you've read the book so maybe you can help. Isn't it a bit unrealistic to expect our proverbial 'Kansan' to pretend that abortion is inconsequential when the Democrats have been telling us for 30 years how consequential it is? Does the author deal with this at all?

[SC Skins Fan]

Originally Posted by 70Chip

I take it Frank makes the case that issues like abortion have distracted ordinary Americans from voting their economic interest. They have been deceived into thinking that social issues are more important than financial ones. But, couldn't one also make the case that the Democratic Party has decided that abortion, homosexual rights, etc are more important to them than the economic interests of Middle America? It seems to me that he is letting one side off of the hook too easily. But, you've read the book so maybe you can help. Isn't it a bit unrealistic to expect our proverbial 'Kansan' to pretend that abortion is inconsequential when the Democrats have been telling us for 30 years how consequential it is? Does the author deal with this at all?

What I think he would say is that nothing ever actually happens of substance in the culture wars; abortion isn't overturned, etc. That is, the conservative politicians who use cultural issues as wedge issues never actually deliver on the promises of any substantive cultural change. The only real substance that the working class foot soldiers of the conservative movement get is decreases in capital gains taxes and other economic outcomes that actually do them harm while benefiting the business class that makes up the durable historical constituency of the Republican party (the GOP has been about various things since the 1850s, but it has always been the party of business). He also would say that much of the cultural outrage directed at the 'decline' of American culture is misguided because what actually drives places like Hollywood (which so many cultural conservatives profess to loath) is not 'liberals' but profit margins. So by refusing to look at market capitalism with a critical eye and by de-coupling the language of economics from discussions of class, Conservatives have obscured one of the real targets that they should be aiming at.

Now, clearly Frank has a political horse to ride, but I'm not sure it in the name of the Democratic party that he writes. In the final chapter he says that the Democratic party has left itself open to cultural wedge issues because they have largely abandoned the language of class. The DLC of Clinton, McCullife, et al. attempted to move the party towards the right economically while holding onto issues like abortion. The hope, he says, was bringing more moderate Republicans into the fold while assuming that working class voters would stick with the party simply because they are slightly better (he would emphasize slightly) on economic issues for working class voters. But he says that by abandoning trade unions etc. in anything more than rhetorical flourishes the Democrats have abandoned the sort of economic justice issues that should really mark them as something distinct from Conservatives.

I think that might be something like what he would say. As I said, I think his historical analysis is lacking, I think he avoids talking about race (saying it doesn't play a role in Kansas politics, but I don't know how you can talk about modern political alignments and not discuss race), and I don't think he really takes religion as seriously as he should either. I'm kind of ambivalent about the book, but I think it is more complex (and much more personal ... partly his own memoir of growing up in Kansas) than just 250 pages saying 'culture trumps economics and therefore working class citizens who vote Republican are irrational'. If anyone else has read the book or would like to do so I'd be open to discussing further.

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

But I am reading Where the Red Fern Grows by: Wilson Rawls read it like 5 or 6 times never gets old.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy not too long ago and loved it. It took some effort for me to get into but by the end I thought it was one of the most moving books I've read in a long time.

It's about a father and son travelling south in a post-apocalyptic US where the majority of the other survivors have resorted to cannibalism. It's not the most original story and there isn't a whole lot of action but it didn't need to be.

One interesting thing: I always try to picture different actors as the characters in books so that I can visualize them better. For The Road I kept picturing Viggo Mortensen as the father for whatever reason, and then I just recently read that this book is going to be turned into a movie and, sure enough, Viggo is playing the lead. I should be a casting director.

[724Skinsfan]

A decently light, nerdy book that I read recently was A Brief History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. He covers the history and important events of just about every range of science category: physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, geology, etc.

[SmootSmack]

I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these. But I don't travel as much as I used to so it may not be as practical

The Gadgeteer - Amazon Kindle

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these. But I don't travel as much as I used to so it may not be as practical

The Gadgeteer - Amazon Kindle

My buddy has one and swears by it - it's pretty cool, but not worth $400 + cost of books, IMO.

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these. But I don't travel as much as I used to so it may not be as practical

The Gadgeteer - Amazon Kindle

Amazon just dropped the price by $40:
Amazon.com: Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device: Kindle Store

[hooskins]

Wow this is an old thread...

[Monksdown]

I am rereading "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan. SciFi, ride or die!! haha. i know im a loser. here's the link:

Amazon.com: The Wheel of Time (Boxed Set #1): Robert Jordan: Books

An epic tale. A little more refined and mature than Tolkien. I always enjoy a cast of characters being taken out of their element, and shown that they can be bigger and more important than they ever thought they would have been.

[724Skinsfan]

Originally Posted by Monksdown

I am rereading "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan. SciFi, ride or die!! haha. i know im a loser. here's the link:

Amazon.com: The Wheel of Time (Boxed Set #1): Robert Jordan: Books

An epic tale. A little more refined and mature than Tolkien. I always enjoy a cast of characters being taken out of their element, and shown that they can be bigger and more important than they ever thought they would have been.

I've read through that series three times starting in 1992. It sucks that Jordan died before he could finish it.

Here's another good book that has multi-perspective elements: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. it's a little more graphic and harsher than The Wheel of Time but a great story nevertheless.

[Monksdown]

Originally Posted by 724Skinsfan

I've read through that series three times starting in 1992. It sucks that Jordan died before he could finish it.

Here's another good book that has multi-perspective elements: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. it's a little more graphic and harsher than The Wheel of Time but a great story nevertheless.

The final book will be completed next year by another author with Jordan's notes. Here is the link:

A Memory of Light - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia