December 2004

The Well of Lost Plots, by Jasper Fforde
Next up: a Chanukah present from the parents.

Naked in Baghdad, by Anne Garrels
The NPR correspondent's story of the Iraq war. Really interesting with great details -- I think the most surprising aspect is her description of the wild ambivalence of average Iraqis, who are obviously conflicted about the American presence in their country. For some reason, I never thought about it quite that way before... it must be so strange to have a hated dictator ousted by a foreign power whose presence you totally resent. I understand it. Anyway, the book is excellent; she said her mission on the radio was to present the war from a ground perspective, to tell the stories of people's responses to war, and she definitely achieved that. Grade: A.

I think I forgot something in here. Hm.

On Paradise Drive, by David Brooks
Reviewed it for work.