A wonderful read and very easy to get caught up in! An older Hemingway looking back on the time when he was "twenty-five and living in Paris", really the period from 1921 to 1926. Paris, the moveable feast that one takes with you for the rest of your life.

The book is structured in a series of vignettes and it's like leafing through Hemingway's personal photo album. Gertrude Stein, Sylvia Beach and her library that inspired so many authors in Paris, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his personal problems, Hemingway's favourite café and the waiters who knew him and welcomed him as a friend. And, of course, his wife and son both of whom he obviously loved dearly. They're all here and they all stand as witnesses that you don't need money to be happy.

This is a book for writers but I think anyone who enjoys seeing snapshots of a life well lived would enjoy it.

A fascinating book. Written in the early 1960s this book is in no way dated; if anything, it has improved with age.

Jacques Ellul's idea is briefly as follows: modern man living in a technological society needs propaganda in order to survive in an unnatural environment, an environment created by technology, by the Industrial Revolution. But propaganda is dangerous because it destroys the ambiguity, the ability to question one's own beliefs, the tolerance for differing opinions; propaganda destroys all that is at the root of democratic culture. And yet, despite this, modern man craves propaganda for the sense of relief and the sense of belonging that propaganda provides him with. Propaganda is not imposed on individuals, it is simply supplied to willing recipients. The point of all propaganda regardless of the political structure (democratic, totalitarian, etc.) is to enable human beings to function within a technological society. We are given a nice safe set of beliefs that we can embrace like a security blanket and which provides relief from the tensions and anxieties of modern life. The price is our individuality which we in the West so proudly proclaim - the price is democracy itself. Because everything in propaganda is black and white, yes or no, there is no room for the freedom of thought, for uncertainty or for the sense of ambiguity which are all necessary for the functioning of a democratic society. The security blanket of propaganda smothers democracy as it comforts us.

Read this book and think of how polarized politics have become over the last few decades. How citizens have become either party ideologues or have retreated into political passivity. This is not how a democracy is meant to function; a democracy cannot function like this. This is what propaganda does and this is what Ellul's message is.

Have you ever watched three TV shows at the same time? Kept three tabs open on your browser, flicking from one to the other and back again? If you're surfing the web or watching TV, turn off computer and/or TV and read this book. Anthony Burgess shows his erudition and his earthiness as he weaves three threads into one wonderful tale of Humanity. I think I'll light up a cigar and step out to look at the moon...

A very interesting discussion of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion and how it influenced Judaism and hence Christianity and Islam. Waterhouse outlines the basic tenets of Zoroastrianism and then points out the many similarities between this most ancient of religions and Judaism. Judaism was of course contemporaneous with Zoroastrianism but the author feels that given the fact that the Jews were in exile in Persian-controlled Babylon prior to the Islamic invasion of Persia it's likely that Zoroastrianism and Judaism influenced each other.

Here are a few examples from Zoroastrian beliefs, beliefs which existed before the interaction with Judaism. Ahura Mazdah (the Zoroastrian name for "God") told Yima (the first prophet in the religion) that there was to be a an ice age during which all would be destroyed and that Yima was to save two of each animal and plant. Sound familiar?
The dualistic nature of Zoroastrianism (good vs evil) was also unique at a time when most people held polytheistic beliefs. The Persians had a belief in places of bliss and punishment where good and bad people would go after death, yet the Old Testament barely mentions Heaven or Hell. The Persians believed that a man's soul finally left his body after three days, that he wasn't really dead until the fourth day - compare that with the raising of Lazarus after three days or the Resurrection of Christ after three days. There are other examples in the book and the author states that he hasn't included all similarities between Zoroastrianism and Judaism.

These examples could be written off as coincidence, but I think that it is possible to follow a common thread back through time, a thread that connects religions of the Middle East, back through Persia and beyond. Reading this book is an excellent way to pick up that thread and see where the big three monotheistic religions, starting with Judaism, picked up many of their ideas.

Why four stars? I feel that Waterhouse was holding back on his belief that Judaism picked up a lot of its ideology and tales from Zoroastrianism. I felt that he was pulling his punches and could have scored some really solid hits had he not been perhaps afraid of insulting Jews and Christians. Just my gut feeling. All in all though a very enlightening read!

It seems that every violent revolution must go through a period of repression in order to control the powerful social forces that the revolution itself has released. In Russia in the 1930s this period of repression was known as Stalinism.

Written by Aurthur Koestler, a Hungarian by birth, a Communist by choice until he realized the true nature of Stalinism, "Darkness at Noon" (1941) is a look at this transition from hopeful revolution to repressive dictatorship. I have never read a better account of the changing of the guard from the old Bolsheviks to the young Stalinists, from philosophers with dreams to bureaucrats with guns.

The protagonist in this novel is a man named Rubashov, an old Bolshevik who is arrested during the Great Purge of the late 1930s. Koestler created Rubashov from several people that he had known who were arrested, tried and executed. "Darkness at Noon" is a very thought-provoking book; it poses many questions on both the personal and the political level. The reader can sense Koestler's sense of betrayal by and his disappointment with the Soviet Union under Stalin and also his disgust with what Stalinism did to individual human beings.

I'm fairly sure that George Orwell must have read "Darkness at Noon" before writing "1984" - Orwell knew Koestler from their time spent in Spain during the Civil War and later in Britain. In both books one can see the same abhorrence of totalitarianism and of politics based on "the end justifies the means". Like Orwell's book, "Darkness at Noon" is an indictment of Stalinism and totalitarianism in general. The brutality, the inhumanity and the vicious mindlessness of a true totalitarian system are portrayed brilliantly in Koestler's well-written novel.

You don't have to be an expert on Soviet history to read this book, just remember that events like this really did happen and that Koestler served as an observant witness of the events of the 1930s & 1940s and as a witness he deserves a hearing so that we can learn from him. Stalin's Russia may be gone but totalitarianism still exists. We should learn from history and "Darkness at Noon" is a great place to do so.

Walter Lippmann was an American journalist and political thinker. This book, published in 1922, presents Lippmann's view on democracy, its shortcomings and its potential. Blending political science, common sense and both individual and group psychology (I was pleased to see that Gustave Le Bon received mention) Lippmann lays out his case that democracy suffers because it demands too much from voters. Our stereotypes, our prejudices, our inability and often unwillingness to see beyond our own noses, even the nature of industrial society, all limit the potential greatness of democracy. Lippmann prescribes reason and solid facts which will enable voters to make sound decisions based not on their perceived reality but on a reality that extends beyond their horizon.

I was struck both by Lippmann's honest assessment of the seemingly impossible demands that democracy makes of citizens and also by his optimism that these shortcomings can and must be overcome. This book is as relevant now as it was in the early stages of mass society when Lippmann wrote it.

John Julius Norwich picks up where he had left off in the first volume of this trilogy (Byzantium: The Early Centuries) and he does so with the same combination of serious historical insight and knowledge couched in wry humour.

In this second volume, which covers the years 800 through 1081, we are introduced to a host of characters ranging from born liars and con men to the truly noble. The Empire is under almost constant siege from the Bulgarians, the Russians, the Muslim Arabs, the Seljuk Turks and also internally from class conflict and of course the typically Byzantine religious quarrels which often led to out-and-out riots. It's drama at its best and it's also well researched and documented - Norwich has matched the high standards that he set for himself in volume one.

As in that volume, Norwich has provided ample maps showing not just geographical features but also towns and cities, regional names and borders. If you're like me and not all that familiar with Asia Minor, Greece and the Balkans, this will be an immense help. Also included are the family trees for the various dynasties and lists of the Byzantine Emperors, the Muslim Sultans, the Patriarchs and the Popes who populate this stage of Byzantine history. There is also a more than adequate bibliography and an index.

I look forward to the final volume in John Julius Norwich's trilogy but I also fear that there will be more lost opportunities and more treachery mixed with sheer bad luck as the Empire and its magnificent capital continue their passage, as they must, towards their inevitable fate.

"We live and learn, yes. But we die and learn, too, it appears."

I enjoyed this book. It's a bit different from Davies' other books but it has a charm all its own. Davies kills off the protagonist in the first sentence and then manages to carry the tale for another 390 pages, and quite a tale it is! Not a ghost story, nothing as obvious as that, more a reflection on one man's life, his ancestors and also on what, if anything, awaits all of us after this life. Written towards the end of Davies' own life, "Murther and Walking Spirits" is perhaps an old man's reflection on life and death. While it is different from his trilogies, it's definitely an enjoyable read. The final section seems to be a bit of a letdown at first, not quite fitting in with the rest, but then, at the very last, it takes another sharp turn and Davies wraps it up very nicely. So, despite this bit of stumbling at the end, it's still a great read.

This book is about the takeover of the public political system in the United States by private corporations - the ultimate hostile takeover, or maybe more of a friendly takeover given the close mingling of the public and private elites. In the author's words inverted totalitarianism "represents the political coming-of-age of corporate power". It is the triumph of market forces over democratic freedoms, the triumph of private over public. But what to do with all of those people who have the right to vote in elections? Well, democracy can be managed and voters can be roused from their state of apathy to cast their votes and then return to the apathetic norm required by inverted totalitarianism. Don't suppress democracy, that's too obvious, instead control it, manage it.

Wolin does an excellent job of dissecting the corruption found in the American political system: lobbyists are now the main political actors - not citizens, not voters. Big business and big government are entwined in an incestuous embrace while we the people are left to go through the motions of perfunctory voting once every four years.

Inverted totalitarianism is unlike classical totalitarianism (Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia). These earlier versions of totalitarianism mobilized the masses to show solidarity with one another and obedience to the Leader whereas inverted totalitarianism relies on a fragmented society of competitive individuals who are terrified of losing their jobs to cheaper foreign labour or losing their lives in a terrorist attack. A frightened, exhausted herd is much easier to manage. If people are working two jobs and just barely keeping their heads above water how are they going to have the time, energy or interest to become politically involved?
If the elites can successfully manage the herd, they can get on with the business of "democracy" without having to explain things to the people. It's politics conducted in the style of the corporate boardroom and the takeover is complete.

This review is of the paperback version which was published in 2010. The author includes a new preface in which he addresses the election of President Obama and its effect on inverted totalitarianism. His conclusions? I won't spoil it for you; it's a great read and I recommend it to everyone, American or otherwise.

The book could have used some closer editing as it states that the Berlin Wall fell in 1987 (it fell in 1989) and that the Korean War took place from 1951 to 1954 (the actual dates of that conflict were 1950-1953). Minor details perhaps, but they should be pointed out even though they in no way detract from Wolin's reasoning.

A story of optimism, optimism that Humanity will come to realise its place in the natural world. This short story shows that human beings can do more than destroy and that one person can indeed make a positive difference. Plants and animals are one and we are a part of that "one" known as Mother Earth. A great story and a great message for readers of all ages.