Gogol paints a vivid picture of a bleak time and an unforgiving place. The characters feel quite real, and the plots are effortless. It seems that he had some inside knowledge of such problems, as his own death followed problems of mental instability. Not a fun book, but readable anyway. Poor dude.
This little book (published in 1993) was captivating. Efficiently informational, it's written in interview format, so all are first-person accounts. We've all read what the Jim Crow south was like, and heard about school segregation. In this book, instead, you're submerged into the experience, feeling the frustration of the children and fears of the parents. You get swept up in the wave of passion which drove these brave people to risk it all (no exaggeration here, I mean ALL) and commit, because something had to change. MLK Jr. is "Uncle Martin" to some of these kids, and you see that side of him, the unassuming man with unwavering faith, and how he used that foundation to become a leader for all time. A must-read.
In this little book, ornithologist Philippe Dubois and philosopher Elise Rousseau help us navigate the difficulties of human life by learning from birds. You don't have to be a hobbyist bird-watcher or student of Nietzsche to grasp the messages packed into these concise chapters. A quick and enjoyable read that will leave you pondering in a good way.
