Tag Archives: sociology

In Praise of Slowness

Posted on September 19, 2009 by smellincoffee

In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed © Carl Honoré 2004 310 pages I have been living philosophically for over a year now, and as time passes I am attracted more and more … Continue reading →

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

Are We Rome?

Posted on August 27, 2009 by smellincoffee

Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America © 2007 Cullen Murphy 262 pages Lead poisons our wine and makes us stupid / Gladiators keep us entertained / More votes cast for idols than for … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

To Have or To Be?

Posted on August 5, 2009 by smellincoffee

To Have or to Be? © 1976 Erich Fromm 215 pages Society was sick when Erich Fromm penned The Sane Society in the fifties, and it hadn’t gotten any better by the 1970s when he was asked to participate in … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

American Mania

Posted on May 20, 2009 by smellincoffee

American Mania: When More Isn’t Enough© 2005 Peter Whybrow338 pages The title “American Mania” caught my eye as I wandered through library bookcases trying to familiarize myself with the library’s recent reshuffling of the shelves after a discarding period: everything … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gang Leader for a Day

Posted on April 8, 2009 by smellincoffee

Gang Leader for a Day: a Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets© 2008 Sudhir Venkatesh302 pages One of my ways to find reading related to my interests is to visit Amazon and search for books I have read before and … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Deer Hunting with Jesus

Posted on February 13, 2009 by smellincoffee

Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America’s Class War© Joe Bageant 2007267 pages + acknowledgments One of the benefits of living in a university setting is that I’m constantly surrounded by people who are reading idea-centered books. One such book … Continue reading →

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

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Posted on January 29, 2009 by smellincoffee

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Television© 1985 Neil Postman176 pages, plus index, bibliography, and notes. I read a couple of books by Postman during the summer, and both were mind-broadening. Postman is particularly concerned about … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

This Week at the Library (3/9)

Posted on September 3, 2008 by smellincoffee

Books this Update: Jailbird, Kurt Vonnegut The Ascent of Science, Brian Silver Foundation and Empire, Isaac Asimov It’s Been a Good Life, Isaac Asimov For the Love of Life, Erich Fromm I began this week by reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Jailbird, … Continue reading →

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

This Week at the Library (15/8)

Posted on August 15, 2008 by smellincoffee

Books this Update: Firestarter, Stephen King Hard Call, John McCain Second Foundation, Isaac Asimov Technopoly: the Surrender of Culture to Technology, Neil Postman The Ascent of Science, Brian L. Silver I began this week with Stephen King’s Firestarter, which was … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This Week at the Library (31/7)

Posted on July 31, 2008 by smellincoffee

Books this Update: The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx Nine Tales from Tomorrow, Isaac Asimov Building a Bridge to the Eighteenth Century, Neil Postman Books that Changed the World, Robert B. Downs The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene I mentioned a few … Continue reading →

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