Review: Kampung Boy: Yesterday and Today

Kampung Boy: Yesterday and Today by Lat
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the brief poignancy of peeking into the past. It gave me a feeling of subtle nostalgia, though I guess the full weight of it does not hit me because of where I live and how old I am.

The most interesting thing is that we are peeking twice. We are looking back to when Lat grew up, his childhood and rural life. However, on another level, we are also looking back to the 1990s, when the comic was written. The few frames of Lat's "present" are exciting in a different way. They made it all the more engaging.

I wish there was more time that I could spend in that world, listening to Lat write about the games he played and the days he spent. Definitely felt some nostalgia. I think there are parallels between life across places. The last page really got me. "We were not really in a hurry to grow up. We took our time."


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Review: At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails

At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails by Sarah Bakewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lucid and engaging look into existentialism through a semi-biographical telling of the life of Jean-Paul Sartre. The ideas are presented clearly, but it's the people that steal the show (quite appropriately). It is a fantastically provoking read that had me making copious notes, re-reading sections and compulsively writing down reading lists of books and movies.

A lot of it is so powerful because existentialism is so powerful. The ideas it pioneers are shocking and relevant, worth thinking about. The credit for that goes to the Continental philosophers of the 20th century this book draws from. On the other hand, I don't think I want to discount the effort and skill that goes into creating a book such as this. Sarah Bakewell does a wonderful job presenting those ideas. Her interjections and notes make it feel cohesive and tie the whole thing together.

This isn't the definitive guide to existentialism. However, I think it does something better than that. It acts as a doorway into that world, giving you names and places and ideas to explore. It does not seek to be authoritative. It seeks to be inquisitive. Nothing better can be said about a book such as this.

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Review: One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation "Wrath of God"

One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation "Wrath of God" by Simon Reeve
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Simon Reeve’s research is compelling and the manner of narration is powerful. A semblance of the weight of the tragedy bears down as you read, slowly drawing from you the visceral and the impossible. There is so much sorrow, with narrow beams of dissipated hope.

I would like to think it offers a balanced view of the crisis, though I don’t feel qualified to judge that specific aspect.

I almost cried at the end.

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Review: Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

You could glean the same advice in a much more concrete form with a 5-minute YouTube video. The writing is dry, the stories are uninteresting (almost condescending at times) and the mindset seems to be that the only purpose to life is money.

The advice is often self-contradictory, it tries to gain moral ground by opposing its own views not realising that the paradox here is because the advice isn’t the most moral. Some of the views expressed are disguised in “It’s for the well-being of everyone” where it’s really encouraging behaviour that creates exploitation.

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Review: The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler

The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler by Thomas Hager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of the most engaging books I've read in the history of science genre, for sure. The Alchemy of Air is a book that one cannot put down. Once I picked it up, I consumed it with a fervour. I felt sad, happy, interested, excited and, eventually, just intrigued by the decades spanning tale that Hager lays out.

Hager's style is distinctive in its subtlety, he lets the central figures of the book shine through direct and powerful writing that focuses on facts. I was drawn in by the events which were laid out lucidly and went forward logically. The odd repetition of some phrases is noticeable and jarring, but there are no other faults to be found here.

The contents are thoroughly interesting, focusing on Haber and Bosch and using them as a lens to look at the science. At its core, it thus becomes a book about real people. These are flawed, paradoxical and intense people. Recognisable as individuals by their, often difficult to understand, actions and obsessions.

I could not put it down, which is a testament to how amazing it is.

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Review: The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jonas Jonasson is a fantastic writer because of his ability to combine politics, history, humour and absurd characters that are simultaneously admirable, exciting, flawed and interesting. The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden embodies these ideals to the fullest, delivering a book that is great to read. It is thoroughly refreshing, entertaining and fun, a read you will definitely enjoy putting time into and which will be effortless.

The book is not flawless. I think there is a lot of subjectivity here, it has the humour and charm that specific people will enjoy. The scope of the story isn't too grand (though it does take unexpected turns), so the sense of wonder is somewhat diminished at points. Wonder is what Jonasson does best, so that took away from the experience a little.

It's not as good as his debut, "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of His Window and Disappeared" because it's missing the massive scale, the recognisable historical events spread over generations and the powerful intertwining of that with the central figure and his apolitical nature. That book was a powerful force that could knock the wind out of your lungs.

This is a more measured book. The skill behind it is undeniable, but the impact is muted. All in all, worth picking up if you like his style and want more.

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