Tag Archives: essays

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress

Posted on February 11, 2010 by smellincoffee

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress © 2007 Howard Zinn 293 pages This year I have become convincted that democracy is not something that happens at the ballot-box but on the streets. It consists in mass movements forcing the institutions that … Continue reading →

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The Tyrannosaurus Prescription

Posted on February 9, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Tyrannosaurus Prescription and 100 Other Essays© 1989 Isaac Asimov323  pages I take for granted that I will enjoy a work by Asimov, particularly a collection of essays, but this made for a particularly enjoyable read. The Tyrannosaurus Prescription covers … Continue reading →

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Red Emma Speaks

Posted on February 4, 2010 by smellincoffee

Red Emma Speaks: An Emma Goldman Reader© 1973, 1996 ed. Alix Kates Shulman464 pages           Emma Goldman was an incorrigible political activist and social critic during the Gilded Age, speaking out against nearly everything society held dear – the government, capitalism, … Continue reading →

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The Zinn Reader

Posted on November 21, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Zinn Reader© 1997 Howard Zinn668 pages When I pulled this book from the shelf, I did so with the intention of checking it out and reading it over the Thanksgiving holiday. I did not anticipate the book monopolizing my … Continue reading →

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For Everything a Season

Posted on October 24, 2009 by smellincoffee

For Everything a Season: Simple Musings on Living Well © 2001 Phillip Gully 220 pages I don’t recall what lead me to reading this book, although I’m sure my fondness for the Hebrew book of Ecclesiastes had something to do … Continue reading →

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Fates Worse than Death

Posted on September 25, 2009 by smellincoffee

Fates Worse than Death © 1990 Kurt Vonnegut 240 pages Kurt Vonnegut’s Fates Worse than Death is a collection of semi-autobiographical essays that function as reflections of portions of Vonnegut’s life. The essay texts come chiefly from lectures given by … Continue reading →

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Barrel Fever

Posted on September 23, 2009 by smellincoffee

Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays© 1995 David Sedaris208 pages Three years ago I heard David Sedaris talk about his experience living in Paris and was immediately taken by his style of humor. I don’t know how to articulate the Sedaris … Continue reading →

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Death by Black Hole

Posted on September 10, 2009 by smellincoffee

Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandries© 2007 Neil deGrasse Tyson384 pages Although I’ve encountered Dr. Tyson before — chiefly through interviews in podcasts like The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe and the Humanist Network News — I’ve never … Continue reading →

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Securing Democracy

Posted on August 10, 2009 by smellincoffee

Securing Democracy: Why We Have an Electoral College © 2001 ed. Gary Gregg II 171 pages “The Framers of the Constitution would have been appalled at the notion that over time the presidency would become an objection pf partisan ambition, … Continue reading →

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Gold

Posted on August 6, 2009 by smellincoffee

Gold © Nightfall, Inc. / The Isaac Asimov Estate 345 pages “At present, when there are a great many writers attempting to scale the mountainside of science fiction, it must be rather annoying for them to see the peak occupied … Continue reading →

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