Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Seife tells the “story” of zero in an interesting and fun way, tracing the history of mathematics, numbers, and various civilizations along the way. It’s written with the lay person in mind, and the proofs and equations presented are easy to understand and work through on one’s own. (I particularly enjoyed the proof in appendix A, that Winston Churchill was a carrot!) It begins with ancient civilizations most basic use of the numbers and continues through modern day as scientists hope to unravel the mysteries of time and universe. Here’s my favorite passage:

"Zero might also hold the secret of what created the cosmos. Just as the nothingness of the vacuum and the zero-point energy spawn particles, they might spawn universes. The froth of quantum foam, the spontaneous birth and death of particles, might explain the origin of the cosmos. Perhaps the universe is just a quantum fluctuation on a grand scale—an enormous singular particle that came into existence out of the ultimate vacuum. This cosmic egg would explode, inflate, and created the space-time of our universe. It may be that our universe is simply one of many fluctuations. Some physicists believe that the singularities at the center of a black hole, where time and space have no meaning, is constantly creating countless numbers of new universes that bubble off, inflate, and create their own stars and galaxies. Zero might hold the secret to our existence—and the existence of an infinite number of other universes." (Seife, p.208)

Highly recommended!

How Doctors Think

How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman

An interesting book, exploring the reasoning and thoughts behind doctor's thoughts, diganoses, and mistakes. The closing paragraphs of each chapter have useful summarizations and tips about preventing medical errors, choosing the correct doctor and/or specialist, etc. Groopman is honest and articulate about many taboo issues (for example, that mood can strongly affect a diagnosis). Definitely a must-read for anyone facing a serious or chronic illness, though it would serve even better if one had this information beforehand.

Kabul Beauty School

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

This book was interesting to read, especially since I read it just after finishing A Thousand Splendid Suns. The author describes her struggles and joys in creating a beauty school (one of the only places women are allowed to work and socialize) in Kabul. Rodriguez’s passion for her work and for the women she is helping is admirable, especially given the difficulties she encounters from the Afghan government and the dangerous conditions she works in. Her willingness to journey from the United States to Afghanistan is quite astonishing. In some ways, however, reading this book reminded me of an article I’d recently read describing the literary differences between memoirs and works of fiction. The author of the article felt that works presented as memoirs were held to a different literary standard, as “raw” and “gritty” writing was somehow more permissible from an untrained writer, while true works of fiction are expected to be more refined. This book definitely falls in the former category in terms of writing style and narrative flow.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

This book chronicles the life of Kingsolver’s family as they live solely from food grown on their farm and local food for a year. The delicious descriptions of heirloom fruits and vegetables made me hungry (and strengthened my resolve to visit the farmer’s market more often), and there were many tips and recipes throughout the book for seasonal eating. I didn’t appreciate the arguments against vegetarianism (for example, she contends that we don’t feel guilty for mowing our lawn and killing the grass…) or the callous way in which she describes her daughter’s decision to kill chickens instead of selling the eggs to make more money. The judgmental tone of the book bothered me enough that I probably wouldn’t read anything by this author again. I imagine that the type of people who are drawn to this book are already doing their best to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, and don’t require additional preaching.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

At first I wondered if all the clamor about this book was worth it. However, I enjoyed this book even more than the Kite Runner (partially, I think, because the main characters were women). The story is well written and flows smoothly. I was quickly drawn into the lives of the main characters, though the more tragic details of their lives were a heartrending read. This book is worth checking out from the library, especially given current world events.

Jhumpa Lahiri

Just a plug for both The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies (a collection of short stories) by this author (although I haven't seen the movie for The Namesake, and probably won't...). In The Namesake, I was especially moved by Ashima's quiet struggles and loneliness in America as it put into words what my own parents must have gone through when they moved here. Looking forward to reading her next story collection (on hold at the library!).

Stradavari's Genius

Stradavari's Genius: Five Violins, One Cello, and Three Centuries of Enduring Perfection by Toby Faber.

Read this a while ago, but wanted to post since I had really enjoyed it. There was enough technical and "violinistic" information to keep me engaged, but was definitely written with the layperson in mind. I had fun reading about the lives of the famous musicians who had owned these instruments throughout the past few hundred years, and how the instruments changed their lives (or vice versa!). I think most musicians or music-lovers would enjoy this book. (And I also wrote it off as a tax deduction...)

Short Posts...

Short Posts = Less Writing Time =
Less Procrastination = Regular Posts!

The Family That Couldn't Sleep

The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery, by D.T. Max

An extremely interesting book about rare and often fatal prion diseases which are caused by proteins in the body that are folded the wrong way. The book traces one type of disease (which causes fatal insomnia) through an Italian family, discusses mad cow disease, and talks about cannibal tribes in Papua New Guinea. The author explains all the medical and scientific terminology well, and book flows smoothly from one portion to the next. May turn you vegetarian!

The Faith Club

The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding, by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner

These three women initially got together after the 9/11 attacks to write a children's book that explored the common heritage of their three religions. These meetings turned into an honest and deep interfaith dialogue through which they shared their insecurities about their own faiths and talked about stereotypes and prejudices they had against other religions. As a Hindu, I certainly learned concepts about each of these religions which I had previously been unfamiliar with. It would be great to hear a similar dialogue which also included other major religions (like Hinduism, Buddishm, Bahá'í, Taoism, etc.).

Nickel and Dimed

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich

Great book written by a courageous journalist, as well as a very illuminating and shocking read. I hope that someone will publish some sort of follow-up with workable ideas of how to stop this cycle (including practical suggestions for those of us who are more privileged and want to help).


From Publishers Weekly
In contrast to recent books by Michael Lewis and Dinesh D'Souza that explore the lives and psyches of the New Economy's millionares, Ehrenreich (Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class, etc.) turns her gimlet eye on the view from the workforce's bottom rung. Determined to find out how anyone could make ends meet on $7 an hour, she left behind her middle class life as a journalist except for $1000 in start-up funds, a car and her laptop computer to try to sustain herself as a low-skilled worker for a month at a time. In 1999 and 2000, Ehrenreich worked as a waitress in Key West, Fla., as a cleaning woman and a nursing home aide in Portland, Maine, and in a Wal-Mart in Minneapolis, Minn. During the application process, she faced routine drug tests and spurious "personality tests"; once on the job, she endured constant surveillance and numbing harangues over infractions like serving a second roll and butter. Beset by transportation costs and high rents, she learned the tricks of the trade from her co-workers, some of whom sleep in their cars, and many of whom work when they're vexed by arthritis, back pain or worse, yet still manage small gestures of kindness. Despite the advantages of her race, education, good health and lack of children, Ehrenreich's income barely covered her month's expenses in only one instance, when she worked seven days a week at two jobs (one of which provided free meals) during the off-season in a vacation town. Delivering a fast read that's both sobering and sassy, she gives readers pause about those caught in the economy's undertow, even in good times.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The Jungle

I finally got around to reading this classic by Upton Sinclair in December. I think it would turn most people into vegetarians! Despite its length, I read the book rather quickly--one can't help moving forward to see what will happen next to the protagonist Jurgis. Overall, the book does what one expects by unveiling the meat-packing industry's disgusting sanitary practices and wretched treatment of its workers. I didn't care for the ending though; I felt that it suddenly became very political and preachy. Yet I would still recommend reading this at least once.

Middlesex

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Gorgeous writing... here's an overview (not by me!)

From Library Journal
Eugenides's second novel (after The Virgin Suicides) opens "I was born twice: first, as a baby girl...in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy...in August of 1974." Thus starts the epic tale of how Calliope Stephanides is transformed into Cal. Spanning three generations and two continents, the story winds from the small Greek village of Smyrna to the smoggy, crime-riddled streets of Detroit, past historical events, and through family secrets. The author's eloquent writing captures the essence of Cal, a hermaphrodite, who sets out to discover himself by tracing the story of his family back to his grandparents. From the beginning, the reader is brought into a world rich in culture and history, as Eugenides extends his plot into forbidden territories with unique grace. His confidence in the story, combined with his sure prose, helps readers overcome their initial surprise and focus on the emotional revelation of the characters and beyond. Once again, Eugenides proves that he is not only a unique voice in modern literature but also well versed in the nature of the human heart. Highly recommended.
- - Rachel Collins, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Mozart's Women

Mozart's Women by Jane Glover

This is a biography about Mozart which focuses on the important women in his life--especially his sister Nannerel, his mother Maria Anna, and his wife Constanze Weber--but also the sopranos he wrote many of his opera arias for, his cousin Blase (to whom he wrote many of his "bawdy" letters), Constanze's sister Alyosia, and other members of the Weber family.

This book is divided into four sections: Mozart's Family, Mozart's Other Family, Mozart's Women, and After Mozart.

I especially enjoyed the first and the last sections of the book. Reading about Mozart's life, his letters, and entries from his sister's diary greatly humanized the composer. It was touching to read his affectionate letters to his sister, mother, and wife. I felt I was able to view him as a person who lived an actual life--a complicated, full, exciting, and difficult life--instead of seeing him as simply a great monolith of a composer.

The last section described Constanze's life after Mozart's death. I found it interesting that her second husband, Georg Nissen, helped compile letters and memories about Mozart, and was a cardinal force in writing a biography about Mozart. I also enjoyed reading about Mozart's sons and the life of his sister in her twilight years.

The middle section largely dealt with opera arias that Mozart had written for different women. He liked to know the singer he was writing for and tailor the arias to his/her specific strengths, weaknesses, and vocal range. While this section was well-written, I felt that it would be better
for an opera aficionado or a theory buff. It went into great technical detail about the construction and theory of each aria. This section also discussed many of early operas, which are not as well known.

Overall, an interesting, well-written biography.