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Book Reviews
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The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test
Erin Britton10 November 2008
Tom Wolfe"s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a fascinating Day-Glo dream of a book recounting the weird and wonderful people, pranks and LSD that were central to the iconic counterculture of sixties America. Searching for truth, insight and the perfect trip, Ken Kesey (author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo"s Nest) and his group of loyal followers, the Merry Pranksters, painted an old school bus and set off on a cross-country drive predominantly fuelled by LSD and other psychedelic drugs. Neil Cassady, hero of Kerouac"s On the Road, drove the bus. Dapper suited journalist Tom Wolfe was along for the ride but not the drugs. As Kesey would say, "He was on the bus but he wasn"t ON the bus". Wolfe captures perfectly the style of the Merry Pranksters with his mixing of insightful journalist reporting and the spontaneous prose style popularised by Jack Kerouac and, in doing so, truly brings the journey and experiences of Kesey and the Merry Pranksters to life. Not only do the acid tests take you inside the altered minds of various willing and unwilling average citizens, Wolfe also visits the consciousnesses of literary greats like Kesey, iconic figures like Neil Cassady and Alan Ginsberg, Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, and a group of Hell"s Angels. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a breakneck journey across a hazy America in a rush of speed, a cloud of pot smoke, and a whirl of LSD induced hallucinations. All that remains to be decided, "Can YOU pass the acid test?"
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Holly09 November 2008
This was a book that I felt I 'ought' to read as it had been recommended in so many reviews. Consequently, it sat on the shelf, untouched for several months until I felt ready to tackle it... However, as soon as I started it I was pulled in to the story; the characters came alive and, although I knew some elements of the story beforehand,I was keen to read for myself and find out what happened. In many ways this is a very sad story. Not only for the individual characters but also for the way in which it portrays life in Afghanistan. Nothing in the many news reports that I have read/seen explained the everyday situation as well as this novel. Thus I enjoyed it on two levels: as a story and also as a social history. If this sounds rather dull,I apologise, it really isn't a dull novel! (Also, it has to be said that I am not a great fan of weepy stories, however there was enough hope for a positive outcome at the end to prevent it from being too depressing.) Do read it if you can.
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Textbook of Natural Medicine, 2-Volume Set
Steph05 November 2008
This is a very thorough, extremely well referenced book that should be on the shelf of every practitioner. It is easy to use, explaining the pathologies in good detail which is followed by various possible naturopathic treatment options. It is a fantastic resource and also has a CD so it can be accessed online, anywhere. An educational and enjoyable book full of essential information.Expensive,but definitely worth it.
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Edexcel GCSE Maths: Higher Student Book (Edexcel GCSE Mathematics for 2006)
Susan Anderton24 October 2008
Well written book with lots of examples and easy to understand text. A must have for anyone wanting a clear GCSE higher level Maths educational book.
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Erin Britton19 October 2008
It must be a funny old business being the Queen: you can't even take the corgis for a walk to the local bookshop without discovering yourself already there, albeit in fictional form. In this latest literary outing for the genre-spanning Queen Elizabeth, she discovers the joys of reading after a chance encounter with a mobile library in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and very quickly begins shirking her official duties so that she can spend quality time curled up with a good book. 'The Uncommon Reader' is a rather slight read but it is amusing and very engaging and, perhaps most importantly, is as quintessentially English as a cup of tea.
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The Goon: Chinatown & The Mystery of Mr. Wicker
Erin Britton19 October 2008
The Goon is a pop-culture icon, a delightful ode to B-Movies and the old adventure pulps. With Chinatown, the first standalone book in the series, writer and artist Eric Powell finally explains the Goon"s long running aversion to Chinatown and his suspicion towards beautiful women. While controlling all the criminality in a depression era American town and striving to keep the hordes of local zombies at bay, the Goon must keep up the façade of being in the employ of kingpin Labrazio while battling a mysterious enemy made entirely of wicker and avoiding distracting trips down memory lane. The painted style of the art in Chinatown is slightly more sophisticated that that regularly found in the Goon books but the storyline is as delightfully twisted as fans have come to expect from Eric Powell. The Goon is a joy to read, particularly so for fans of the old EC Comics series.
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William Wilberforce: The Life of the Great Anti-Slave Trade Campaigner
Erin Britton19 October 2008
With his previous book, William Pitt the Younger: A Biography, William Hague, former Leader of the Conservative Party, has shown himself to be far more competent with matters historical than with matters political and so it is no surprise that William Wilberforce is one of the most authoritative biographies available of the great abolitionist. The son of a rich Yorkshire merchant, William Wilberforce had became an independent MP by the age of twenty-one. Being a popular and rich young man with excellent prospects, Wilberforce enjoyed the highlife in London until he experienced an Evangelical Christian revelation at the age of twenty-six and decided to dedicate his life to more lofty enterprises. After his religious conversion, Wilberforce had two goals in life: the abolition of the slave trade and the improvement of Britain"s moral standards. He certainly lived to see one of these achieved. The life of William Wilberforce is an excellent story and Hague tells it extremely well. As well as providing vivid details of the campaign for abolition, Hague provides a very fair account of Wilberforce, a man who, for all his abolitionist verve, did not support basic workers rights or the votes for women movement. Although Wilberforce"s reforming was motivated by religious conviction, his religion was of a very conservative sort. Only one issue is left for the reader to ponder: Who will be the next great "William" to receive the Hague treatment? Shatner perhaps?
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Nature's Engraver: A Life of Thomas Bewick
Erin Britton19 October 2008
Once again Jenny Uglow has produced an enthralling biography that, while clearly based on painstaking historical research, is hugely readable and sympathetic to the life and times of the central figure. Although Bewick"s own life was rather straightforward, he lived in interesting times. Indeed, Bewick"s life overlapped with those of Birmingham"s famous Lunar Men, the subject of a previous book by Jenny Uglow, and Uglow has once again demonstrated an expert grasp of period detail. As well as illuminating the life of Bewick himself, she manages to highlight the times behind the life. Uglow brings the reality of the calm and serene 18th century Tyne Valley as well as the bustling and competitive professional life of Newcastle to life. As well as being a pleasure to read, Nature"s Engraver is also a pleasure to behold with the finest works of Bewick, works of minute delicacy and precision, being produced in glorious detail.
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Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess
Erin Britton19 October 2008
Producing an accurate biography of a figure from the 14th century was always going to be difficult, especially when the party in question left no written records or correspondence, but Alison Weir is a historian of such high calibre that she has managed to investigate every original source available concerning Katherine Swynford and is able to make educated guesses wherever necessary. Born in 1350, Katherine de Roet married Hugh Swynford, an English knight, in 1366 and went on to have three children with him. Katherine was employed in the household of the infamous John of Gaunt as the governess to his two daughters and, at some point before 1373, Katherine became John"s official mistress. Despite having Katherine as his mistress, John of Gaunt still took Constance of Castile as his second wife and it was only in 1396, two years after Constance"s death, that he married Katherine. The relationship between Katherine and John of Gaunt was of huge political importance during their lifetimes but also hugely influential on British history as a whole. The York, Tudor and Stuart dynasties all descend from their children, as do such important figures as Winston Churchill and Bertrand Russell. There"s even a link of George W. Bush. Alison Weir is often described as writing popular history and, while it is true that her books are almost always bestsellers, their popularity is due to the excellent historical detail that Weir always provides as much as it is because of her wonderfully approachable writing style. Weir has once again succeeded in producing a wonderful biography; more can now be known about Katherine Swynford than was ever possible before.
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Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: an Introduction
Erin Britton19 October 2008
Worth a read for the marbles-related Taoist enlightenment alone, this book is an ingenious two story combination providing further insight into the neurotic yet enigmatic Glass family. Both stories are told from the point of view of Buddy, the second eldest of the seven Glass children and both illustrate the difficulties of being exceptional in a society that glorifies normalcy. 'Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters' involves the aftermath of Seymour jilting his fiancée at the altar while 'Seymour, an Introduction' is a somewhat plotless character study of a deeply admired older brother. While neither story offers a straightforward read with a beginning, middle and an end, both are beautifully melancholy and completely gripping. Those who enjoy these tales of the Glass family should make sure to read 'Franny and Zooey' as well as the 'Perfect Day for Bananafish' short in the 'For Esme ~ in Love and Squalor' collection.
