Tag Archives: biography

Nehru: the Invention of India

Posted on April 13, 2010 by smellincoffee

Nehru: the Invention of India© 2003 Shashi Tharoor282 pages  The movie Gandhi introduced me to many of the key figures in India’s independence movement and early political leadership, and beyond Gandhi no man interested me more than the Mahatma’s right … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Joan of Arc: the Legend and the Reality

Posted on March 16, 2010 by smellincoffee

Joan of Arc: the Legend and the Reality© 1959 Frances Gies306 pages Few historical characters, and no women, are more famous than Joan of Arc. Her name and story are known throughout the world. In the Middle Ages there were … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

American Infidel

Posted on February 28, 2010 by smellincoffee

American Infidel: Robert G. Ingersoll© Orvin Larson 1962 / republished 1993 by FFRF Inc316 pages Robert Green Ingersoll has long been a personal hero of mine, so when during the course of a class on the Gilded Age I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Into the Wild

Posted on January 21, 2010 by smellincoffee

Into the Wild© 1997 Jon Krakauer207 pages Well over a year ago, perhaps closer to two, a friend of mine asked me if I had heard the story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who left society to live off … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Cicero

Posted on December 9, 2009 by smellincoffee

Cicero: the Life and Times of Rome’s Greatest Politician© 2001 Anthony Everitt359 pages I’ve been intending to read this for a few months now, but other books have always gotten in the way. As I plan on continuing in Robert … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Robert Ingersoll

Posted on November 12, 2009 by smellincoffee

Robert Ingersoll© 1972 David Anderson141 pages You may have never heard of Robert Ingersoll before, but you’ve probably seen him: I use a portrait of him as my “user picture” here on blogger. As you may be able to guess, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Blue Like Jazz

Posted on June 23, 2009 by smellincoffee

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality © 2003 Donald Miller 243 pages In addition to my comparative religion and philosophy studies, I’m also trying to get a handle on why one religion in specific — Christianity — matters … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Black Holes and Baby Universes

Posted on June 23, 2009 by smellincoffee

Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays © 1993 Stephen Hawking 182 pages Well, this is one book that recquires very little explaination. It’s a book of essays written by Stephen Hawking, most of them being on scientific topics. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Buddha

Posted on June 10, 2009 by smellincoffee

Buddha © 2001 Karen Armstrong 205 pages Karen Armstrong’s Buddha is a concise biography of Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as (the) Buddha. The book, divided into five key sections, begins with Armstrong introducing the texts she uses as her sources … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Here I Stand

Posted on May 9, 2009 by smellincoffee

Here I Stand: My Struggle for a Christianity of Integrity, Love, and Equality© 2001 John Shelby Spong48o pages On YouTube, I somehow stumbled across two Christians (Marcus Borg and Bishop Spong) whose beliefs are definitely not in line with orthodox … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 1 Comment