[quote]On the Road - Jack Kerouac. The Bible of a generation.
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Good call! Your others were very good too, but On The Road is the ultimate.
KombatAthlete:
A few comments on your posting of the essay (kudos on actually putting it out there for comments!):
1.) I had trouble following what assumptions you say the author makes, might want to clean up the flow overall so these are more clearly laid out; or maybe I’m just really tired at 1am.
2.) Rather argumentative attitude in the second paragraph, assuming the man is merely ignorant rather than lying. Is this for a class asking for such a confrontational tone?
3.) You state that “in addition, the known auto-regulating biological laws that govern food consumption and overpopulation, which Daniel Quinn cites humans as being in violation of, are self-correcting in a time frame not much longer than a decade” in paragraph 3.
Population biology isn’t my field of specialization, but there’s no set time frame for population correction that holds true for all populations. Just not true, as far as I know, and I’d love to see a citation I could read and learn otherwise. Perhaps you’re thinking of the classic lynx/snowshoe rabbit example?
Some really interesting graphs showing human population growth and other population biology can be found here: http://www.plyojump.com/courses/biology/week07.html
4.) In paragraph 7 you mention no other animal besides humans practice agriculture? Nope. Ants farm fungi, really a fascinating field of study. See http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/281/5385/2034 for an example. Even more interestingly many ants also grow bacteria in waxy deposits on their outer surface which produce antifungal compounds.
Apologies if the critique seems harsh, but hopefully it’ll make for a better essay
[quote]dmwst30 wrote:
KombatAthlete:
A few comments on your posting of the essay (kudos on actually putting it out there for comments!):
1.) I had trouble following what assumptions you say the author makes, might want to clean up the flow overall so these are more clearly laid out; or maybe I’m just really tired at 1am.
2.) Rather argumentative attitude in the second paragraph, assuming the man is merely ignorant rather than lying. Is this for a class asking for such a confrontational tone?
3.) You state that “in addition, the known auto-regulating biological laws that govern food consumption and overpopulation, which Daniel Quinn cites humans as being in violation of, are self-correcting in a time frame not much longer than a decade” in paragraph 3.
Population biology isn’t my field of specialization, but there’s no set time frame for population correction that holds true for all populations. Just not true, as far as I know, and I’d love to see a citation I could read and learn otherwise. Perhaps you’re thinking of the classic lynx/snowshoe rabbit example?
Some really interesting graphs showing human population growth and other population biology can be found here: http://www.plyojump.com/courses/biology/week07.html
4.) In paragraph 7 you mention no other animal besides humans practice agriculture? Nope. Ants farm fungi, really a fascinating field of study. See http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/281/5385/2034 for an example. Even more interestingly many ants also grow bacteria in waxy deposits on their outer surface which produce antifungal compounds.
Apologies if the critique seems harsh, but hopefully it’ll make for a better essay[/quote]
Thank you for the commentary. I read it over this morning and there are a number of things I wanted to change as soon as I read it, and your suggestions are valued (especially the ant agriculture). I am going to do further research on population biology as I realize I may have made some stupid assumptions myself.
[quote]DPH wrote:
alot of good choices mentioned so far…
a few off the top of my head that I haven’t seen anyone else list:
Journey to the End of the Night…
Autobiography of Malcolm X…
any Bukowski published while he was still alive (even the poetry, awesome shit)…
Animal Farm…
Vonnegut’s stuff (the earlier the better)…
Into Thin Air…
Down and Out in Paris and London…
Fahrenheit 451…
Brave New World…
Clockwork Orange…
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest…
All Quite on the Western Front…
The Jungle…[/quote]
Yes! I totally forgot about Autobiography. Great book about a great man.
I came across this thread a few days ago when i was looking for a good book, thought it might be worth reviving. As mentioned before, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah was amazing, very thought provoking. I am also really enjoying Winning, by Jack Welch. Anyone else read anything worthwhile lately?
I haven’t seen any Steinbeck on here. To me, his use of the English language is unmatched. The first paragraph of ‘East of Eden’ is the best descriptive writing I’ve ever read. Just STUNNING use of language. Seriously, just go read the first few paragraphs of that book, it’ll give you chills…
"THE SALINAS VALLEY is in Northern California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.
I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers. I remember where a toad may live and what time the birds awaken in the summer�??and what trees and seasons smelled like�??how people looked and walked and smelled even. The memory of odors is very rich.
I remember that the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley were light gay mountains full of sun and loveliness and a kind of invitation, so that you wanted to climb into their warm foothills almost as you want to climb into the lap of a beloved mother. They were beckoning mountains with a brown grass love. The Santa Lucias stood up against the sky to the west and kept the valley from the open sea, and they were dark and brooding�??unfriendly and dangerous. I always found in myself a dread of west and a love of east. Where I ever got such an idea I cannot say, unless it could be that the morning came over the peaks of the Gabilans and the night drifted back from the ridges of the Santa Lucias. It may be that the birth and death of the day had some part in my feeling about the two ranges of mountains…
The Contortionist’s Handbook by Craig Clevenger
Vonnegut’s Jailbird and Slaughterhouse-Five are two of my faves. The Sun Also Rises, Islands in the Stream, and Across the River and Into the Trees by Hemingway I also enjoyed.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I absolute despise “self help books” but this is an absolute must read for anyone who wants to be more successful in all aspects of their lives. Stephen offers no easy answers but instead outlines a series of universal truths that can yield amazing rewards, financial and otherwise.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad: Poorly written, full of filler, but young people need to listen to Robert Kiyosaki…stop fucking around with “bling” you can barely afford, do some homework, amass assets and let that “bling” buy itself in a few years. This book lit a fire in me, if nothing else.
Dante’s Inferno: Just an amazing descriptive, cool book. Get the Gustave Dore illustrations to accompany it. The rest of the Divine Comedy, Puragatory and Paradise, are boring as hell but the Inferno is a must read
Was going to reply with Guns Germs and Steel but you beat me to it in the topic!
Omnivores Dilemma is a good one, too.
Every book written by Kurt Vonnegut.
These are just the ones that come to mind right now.
The Search for Meaning
Starting Strength
Deep Survival
The Gift of Fear - DeBecker
Living Consciously
Moby Dick
The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test
On The Road
Lighter
Wind in the Willows
The Yearling
I Am Legend (nothing like the movies)
I’m having trouble getting through A Clockwork Orange, but it is good.
Think and Grow Rich! by Napoleon Hill
I hope they serve beer in hell - Tucker Max