1. One book that changed your life? All the President's Men by Woodward and Berstein. -- read as a junior in high school. I think my mistrust of government and my interest in politics began with this book.
2. One book you have read more than once? Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. One book you would want on a desert island? Dune by Frank Herbert, 1984 by George Orwell
4. One book that made you laugh? Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot by Al Franken. I think even conservatives would find this one funny. Doesn't take itself too seriously.
5. One book that made you cry? Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
6. One book you wish had been written? My own, from any of the false starts and scraps of the last 20 years.
7. One book you wish had never been written? Atlas Shrugged -- Ayn Rand fascinates me but she is unbelievably overwrought and full of crap. An amazing book in that it was so popular while simultaneously pissing off some conservatives (for being atheistic and having controversial views on sex) and liberals (for promoting no government intervention in anything and for the godlike adulation of the free market). Individually, some of the concepts might have some merit, but as a whole, it reads like a pompous, poorly written manifesto for neo-cons and libertarians.
8. One book you are currently reading? Walden by Henry David Thoreau -- my reading this is long overdue.
9. One book you have been meaning to read? The Structure of Evolutionary Theory by Stephen Jay Gould -- Have you seen this book? It's freakin' huge! I could use it as a leg for my table. I don't know if I'll ever have enough ambition to read it.
10. Now tag five people: Eric, Great White Bear, Sadie, Josh and Scott
7 hours ago
12 comments:
Nice.
I was thinking of Ayn Rand for 7, too, but I had to go with the socially conservative books instead. :-) Between her and the Communists, though, atheism has sure gotten a bad rap.
Thanks for the tag friend...I'll do it right now.
wanted to add that 1984 is one of my all time favorite books and of course, The Lord of the Rings.
I don't think Rand gave atheists a bad name. Maybe she did, but I never saw it that way.
I saw this video on YouTube a few days a go that says a survey showed that atheists are the most untrusted group in America. I don't really understand it and think it's quite a shame, but I don't think Rand has done all that much to effect peoples opinions one way or the other.
I didn't say Rand gave atheists a bad name. I said that her work has been criticized for being atheistic and Atlas Shrugged is definitely that way. I certainly don't criticize her work for that aspect. It's actually probably one of the few aspects that I do agree with.
I don't think the modern generation is all that affected by Rand.
Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days just had a great episode on an atheist living with a Christian family for 30 days. Very well done. I would say that the reason that atheists have a high percentage of mistrust is that the U.S. is 3/4 Christian. If most Christians are anything like those on the show (especially the husband), they have a real lack of understanding even what atheism means. Laura did a post on that episode: 30 Days
No, you didn't say it. The Jewish atheist guy did.
Oops. My bad. I didn't see that.
I think I would possibly choose 1984 as well when being stuck on a desert island. I've read it a few times, and it never got old, it is so though provoking and classic.
dback--put Cold Sassy Tree on your list of books you need to read. You'll thanks me later...
*wink*
Sadie -- I'm thanking you now. I just read the Amazon blurb for it and sounds interesting. I'll definitely go track it down.
Oh cool! Do a book review, PLEASE. I love reading movie reviews but more important are the book reviews...
*just noticed that I wrote "thanks me later". My comments are so full of typos because I'm too excited to type sometimes.
:)
Sorry i am so late, had busy week and computer problems (daughter spilled pop in keyboard, again!)
I'll get right on it!
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