I’m bored, but my new goal is to be the most well-read receptionist in history.
Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls, by Rachel Simmons.
This is a little new age-y/pop-psychology for my tastes. Being an ‘anti-feminist’ I have qualms with anything that makes girls ‘the other’ first and humans second. But, much of what Simmons says about the socialization of girls is pretty accurate; as a non-tomboy geek girl who spent her life hanging out with boys, I’ve felt like an observer of the irrational half of the species for most of my life, and it seems Simmons and I are watching the same show.
Girls, and woman are just completely unwilling to make their feelings and opinions heard, because a) they don’t think their feelings are justifiable 2) they think they should just keep their mouth shut. As a female, I find myself falling victim to that all the time, without even realizing it. Any girl who lived through being verbally and mentally bullied by other chicks (and really, who survived middle school without it) will probably (say it with me) ‘find something to identify with in this book.’
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The pawn lady is the crazy tea lady. That is all. No actually, the main character is whiny and annoying. I always get mad at characters in books who commit ‘the perfect crime’ and then allow their guilt to get the better of them, and then act all suspicious and go crazy. It’s so disappointing and predictable
A Conflict of Visions: The Ideological Origins of Political Struggle, by Thomas Sowell
This book sucked. Sowell talks about how different ways of thinking make people see issues in completely different contexts. He divides thinkers into “constrained” and “unconstrained” visions, talks about what each one is, and how each one views different ideas like justice, war, peace, etc. My response to everything he says is “Duh.” He doesn’t say anything that is not ridiculously obvious “People have different views on justice! This leads to conflict!”
Don’t read this book, it sucks.
