what it means to be human

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 6 by Philip K. Dick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

this is a really nicely done graphic novel presentation of the entire text of Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", which is the novel on which he film Blade Runner was based. This is my first reading of the novel, but i plan to return to it in its non-graphic format later this year. A great story which gives the reader much to think about related to what it means to be human. This is a beautifully done series.

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Vi :)

another must-read

Brave New World / Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a collection of two classic works by Aldous Huxley. I have heard about "Brave New World" nearly all my adult life, but had never read it. Written in 1931, "Brave New World" is a brilliant, chillingly prophetic story of what life could be like in a controlled utopian world 700+ years in our future. Huxley's keen foresight, wisdom, and conceptual depth and breadth are amazing. Some of the details of the tale may seem a little dated or "weird", but the concepts are dead on target. A picture of a future society designed for peace, happiness, abundance, and efficiency is painted with enough detail to portray both the perceived advantages, but also the dark dangers to the individual. The reader cannot help but connect the events and concepts in this story to what we have seen unfold in our world over the past 80+ years since it was written. This tale serves as a serious warning of what happens when individual freedom and humanity are traded wholesale for the well being of the group or society, and what is lost in the process.

"Brave New World Revisited" is a collection of essays written by Huxley in 1958 to address and update many of the concepts and predictions laid out in the 1931 tale. One by one he lays out the various aspects of "Brave New World" that have taken shape in merely 27 years since the original work was written. Reading each of these essays which connect the dots between the 1931 predictions and the 1958 reality, it is far too easy to extrapolate them to today, 2017. The catalysts which accelerated these predictions toward the 1958 period are even stronger today; technology, overpopulation, over-organization, instant communication via the internet, mass media controlled by corporations and the top 1%, etc. Again, the reader cannot help but connect major aspects in warped utopia of "Brave New World" to specifically what has unfolded and continues to unfold TODAY! The warning is urgent and frightening. I especially loved the last 2-3 essays in which Huxley puts forth some potential ways to avert his predictions, and to win back the humanity and community of our species. Sadly, in spite of his 1958 proposals of ways to turn things around, the past 59 years have not seen any perceivable reversal, but rather an acceleration toward the bizarre utopia portrayed in 1931. Humanity is not winning. Rather, we are happily along for the ride down the drain, in our soma induced bliss. It is very scary. This is a must-read. (see also https://www.huxley.net/ )

A side note: Aldous Huxley died on Nov 22, 1963, the same day as C.S. Lewis, and most notably, President John F. Kennedy. Because of JFK, both the Lewis and Huxley deaths were a footnote in the media. Having read nearly all of the C.S. Lewis works, and now some of Huxley, i feel that i should find something by JFK to read - just to be complete. :)

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Beware

1984 by George Orwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had not read 1984 since i was a high school student, under the ominous cloud of my fundamentalist evangelical brainwashing. I had planned to re-read it recently, in light of the nature of politics in the U.S. this year, but did not have a copy. After hearing that Amazon SOLD OUT of the title around the time of the Trump inauguration, i had the luck of running across a copy in the Little Free Library box in our neighborhood!!! (https://littlefreelibrary.org/)
WOW! This book is amazing. I can't imagine being able to absorb the message and depth of this book at high school age. The warnings and prophecy conveyed through this superbly told tale are not only brilliant, but have deep implications in the society in which we live in today's world. It is equally relevant in the U.S. as it is in other "modern" nations and governments. It is unnerving to see so many of the dystopian concepts and techniques used by Big Brother being used by the U.S. government today, especially in this neo-GOP regime that took control of the White House and Congress in January. This book deserves its status as a classic, and should be read and discussed by every literate citizen while it is still permitted. The warnings conveyed are real dangers that threaten us all today. Beware.

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Reminder: Book Sale this weekend!

Reminder: Book Sale this weekend!
With the closing of Main Library for a two-year renovation, the Friends of the Durham Library book sales will be moving to Northgate Mall. There will be a final book sale at Main Library on Saturday, February 11, 2017, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday, February 12, 2017 from 1 – 4 p.m.
https://durhamcountylibrary.org/friends/

well researched and articulated manifesto

Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In by Bernie Sanders
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I arrived a little late to the Bernie Sanders party, but i'm glad i got to read his latest book. If our political landscape had more people with values and ethics like his, we indeed could have "A Future to Believe In". In the first 1/3 of the book Senator Sanders tells this story of his political life, up through the end of the primary. The last 2/3 of the book is a well researched and articulated manifesto to save our nation and our people. It is loaded with statistics and data, and explanations of how things political and governing work (actually, DON'T work). Lots of good information to put to use as we reaffirm our fight to reclaim our nation for our people - ALL our people. Great read that i highly recommend!

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