This is a common theme in literature - the moral ambiguity of man. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
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Off topic, but one of my absolute favorite movies of all time. Spectacular cinematography, great actors. Madeline Stowe was sublime in it.
Now I find out that the guy who played the chief was real. Nice. Imo, he had a regal screen presence in the role.
(@twojarslave even more off topic, that tidbit about the spy plane was awesome, now the Eisenhower quote -you’re on a roll)
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Thanks.
I don’t think we’re off-topic at all. Those books and the movie adaptation sparked my imagination. That’s a big part of why we read.
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Starship Troopers Robert Heinlein
I read the book so I could better appreciate the movie, and honestly it does make Verhoeven’s satirical take that much better. What really confused me is how this book won the Hugo Award. The entire book reads like a militaristic civic duty PSA, with unrealistic dialogue to match (a staple of the PSA genre). I feel like the PSA genre has made it’s way into a lot of movies, but that’s a rant I’ll save for another day.
Because this book made the movie better I’ll give it a solid 5/5.
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Most of my reading lately has been historical. Does that count as literature? I imagine the “classics” when I hear the word literature. But I agree with you. Literature has more to teach us than I think a lot of people give it credit for. I reread the Narnia series last year, and restarted LotR, and found myself getting a lot more out of it than when I was younger, simply because I’m able to pick up on the themes better and realize, that though they’re in a fantasy novel, they’re quite applicable to my real life.
@twojarslave - Never read The Pathfinder. You recommend it? The Last of the Mohicans was a great movie, actually preferred it over the book. Wes Studi had a little role in a new show about Natives, was weird to see him as a 70-something year old man. I’ll always imagine him as Magua.
@anna_5588 have you ever read/heard of Richard Nisbett? Thinking of picking up his book ‘Thinking:AMemoir’
He’s apparently a psychology professor at Michigan … just listened to an interview on a Bloomberg podcast
I enjoyed The Pathfinder too, but I was quite young when I read it. Maybe 11 or so. I didn’t read any of the earlier books because they weren’t in our book closet.
I wouldn’t call it must-read material but it was an easy book to pick up and get into for me at the time.
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Yes!! His work is great!
I haven’t read the book though
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When I think of literature I think of fiction, but memoirs often contain many of the elements of literature as well. I believe Shakespeare was one of the first authors to introduce the trope of man’s moral ambiguity.
When I was about ten years old I read The Call of the Wild - it was a cool story about a dog. Thirty years later I had to read it for a graduate class in English - it was a cool allegory about the moral ambiguity of man.
I think you will find this trope in many forms as it is so apt - none of us are all good, nor are we all evil. In my opinion, good authors make you question your labels. The Kite Runner is a good example. At the beginning I hated the kid and loved the father. By the end, the script had flipped.
In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova
@Bagsy I liked the Midnight Library! Let me know what you think of it when you finish.
Together We Will Go by J. Michael Straczynski
Finished it last night. Eh, it was all right. I liked the concept but thought the writing turned trite in the second half.
Ooo, I just read the summary. It sounds really good!
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Fair assessment for sure. I liked the story - but I’m easily entertained…
So far, so good on Together We Will Go!
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It was significantly better than Normal People at least 
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A great read. Very Straczynski: thoughtful, fun and well-written.
I just finished reading The Day That Never Comes by Cainh McDonnell yesterday. It’s the second book in the Dublin Trilogy and is an Irish comedic take on a mystery crime novel.
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So browsing whichever streaming service is carrying the show or movie, I saw a preview for Normal People, and realized, after blankly reading the discussions about it in here, that I read it last year. Memorable it apparently is not! Although to be fair, I have more and more disconnect from the names of the books I read, because they’re on Kindle or Audible (generally Kindle) and I don’t see the name and author every time I pick it up. Generally I read around for recommendations (as H Mart currently) and, check a review or two, download, and never see the cover again. I would give Normal People a solid “meh,” now that I realize I read it.
I’m about halfway through Crying in H Mart, and enjoying it.
The show is trending right now for sure. Cultural figures I like have said how much they liked the book and show, so I tried the book… not for me. Glad you’re enjoying Crying in H Mart! I am looking forward to the film adaptation. Plus Japanese Breakfast will make the soundtrack, which is cool.
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I finished Crying in H Mart last night, and ultimately would not recommend it to anyone over 30. It felt exceptionally narcissistic to me. The only well-drawn character was Michelle herself. Both her mother and her father are cardboard cutouts, as are her friends and eventual husband.
I will remember it, though, so it did make an impression on me.
Edit: I also lost my highly inadequate mother when I was 21, and perhaps was triggered by the mother/daughter death stuff. Poor sweetie! Did you have to travel internationally and eat the very best foods in the very best places with the father you continually trash in an effort to assuage your grief?
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