2023-10-11 I just finished the first story "Ragged Dick" a couple days ago - a rereading for a book club discussion coming up in a few days. Loved it.2023-10-11 I just finished the first story "Ragged Dick" a couple days ago - a rereading for a book club discussion coming up in a few days. Loved it. A few years ago I had first listened to the book and liked it so much I listened 3-4x! See my review on Goodreads of a different (pb?) edition., since there is no Librivox audio edition listed. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... I bought this Kindle book a few days ago so that I would have the actual text, instead of just listening (which I did again anyway on a little car journey a few days ago also.) I chose this edition, since it was cheap and had 10 (out of 70!) of the famous author's top stories - very handy and thrifty.
Wonderful book - highly recommended. Great values promoted in this story: honesty, hard work, perseverance, good humor, charity, respectability, importance of a good education, saving, good habits, self-discipline, positive attitude, good friends and friendship, etc. Luck is acknowledged as helping, but capitalizing on it, and not relying on it, is shown to be the key.
(Reminds me of the quote of a famous attorney in Chicago when asked about his luck in winning trials and becoming generally successful: (paraphrasing from memory - "I somehow seemed to gain more luck in my career the more hours I spent in the law library compared to the golf course.)
Great historical insights on survival (without government welfare mentioned at all). Note the prices for goods/services in the book and compare them to today! Note how easy it is to get a good education at very reasonable cost.
I do see some typos and other glitches in this edition, but they are quite minor, for such a low cost edition, that provides so much value.
2023-Oct - The 2nd story "Fame and Fortune" shows how corrosive and negative envy and an entitled attitude can be to all. This story was a nice continuation of the main characters in Ragged Dick, with more added and nicely varying plot, action and conflicts.
These stories are 160 years old, from when society was VASTLY materially poorer! Think of the possibilities for today, with the same values, and present wealth levels!
We need many more books like this, written about modern situations, issues and settings.
2023 Nov - 3rd story - "Mark the Match Boy" - another good one, with another poor street boy profession highlighted - selling matches. Good reinforcement of positive values and fighting difficulties in circumstances, bad influences, bad values, etc. The economics of the business is quite instructive for the time and in a timeless way too. Wonderful.
2023-12-5? - 4th story - "Rough and Ready" - Rufus' nickname is well deserved - a bit rough around the edges, but basically very, very good, and super dedicated to his little sister and always ready for opportunities to help her, his customers/employers and himself. The benefits of honesty and hard work/dedication to what is right and good, vs. idleness, envy, sloth, vindictiveness, etc. Great lessons. Neat story, as usual. No one is perfect, which is what life is really like. But some people are so down to earth, basically good, that you can really count on them. And facts matter. And good questions to actually reveal fact from fiction is important. Crucial.
2023-12-07 Just finished the 5th story within this book: "Ben, The Luggage Boy" - another wonderfully uplifting story. This one is about Ben, who left home at the age of 10 due to his wanting to be independent of his father, who had wronged him. He finds out how difficult earning one's way in the world can be for someone that young, but survives. He also learns about the importance of doing more than just surviving day-to-day, and some really important things in life. The basic math skills exhibited in all the stories is great. Even though most of the "heroes" of the stories - the young boys - have had very little formal education, they all seem to understand basic math, and regularly calculate earnings/day (or partial day) and whether it is more profitable to do one thing or the other, how much time is needed to work for meals, or a room, or a cigar or a Bowery show.
2023-12-11 6th story - "Rufus and Rose" - Returning to Rufus (Rough and Ready) and his sister Rose, the continued saga, where the thoroughly nasty "step-father," James Martin, returns to wreck havoc, and he gets nastier and more dangerous with the aid of even more sinister conmen, but Rufus is up to the challenge. The problems of overdrinking or smoking are demonstrated well, so moderation or abstention benefits are made pretty clear.
2023-12-11 7th story - "Tattered Tom, or the Story of a Street Arab" - Well, well - this is the story of a young street girl, with only a mean and worthless "granny" to help her survive. She would rather be a boy, so acts similarly to the boys, and can take on any of them, if they are near her size, if she needs to. I loved her attitude, grit, "pluck" and turns of expression. And so does the ship's captain who has come back to the city to see his sister. He takes a liking to this plucky little gal with the boy's nickname (Did you know the expression Tomboy dates back to at least the 1870s?) and sets her up in a seemingly decent situation, vastly better than she endured with "granny." But things don't go as planned and granny reappears for some pretty tense and hopeless situations. But Tom is up to the trying situations, and never gives up, but rather somehow always makes lemonade out of the lemons she is served.
One little quirk was that at one point the captain's sister called Tom by the name Tom said may have been her real name: Jenny. But then later in the book, without any explanation, all of a sudden she is being called Jane. I dunno what happened.
2023-12-18 8th story (only 3 more to go!) "Paul the Peddler" - has a mother and brother, but their husband/father was killed a year or two before the story begins, so Paul (and his family) had a better beginning than most of the other stories' "heroes", but they are living in much tougher straits than they did previously, and he, at only 14 or 15 is the main breadwinner. His "peddling" is his own invention, and it is kind of mini-lottery. But since it does well, and he's honest, he attracts tough (and dishonest) competition, that makes life very difficult.
Side Comment: One of the extra neat things about these Horatio Alger stories is that honest competition is shown to be natural and lauded, and dishonest competition is shown to be semi-rare and bad for everyone - including the perps of course.
Things get sorted out in all the stories with mostly private actions and a minimal amount of government police/courts action, kept to just the basics of justice. No government "regulators" are involved at all, except just one (so far) that stifles honest trade with prohibitively expensive licenses/taxes.
Such a simple, reasonable and accurate description, yet how many books, movies, high school and college classes, TV shows, political speeches or laws have it all backwards these days?
The story continued by plowing some new as well as reinforcing some existing fertile ground. Entrepreneurial thinking, economic calculations, financing a new business and the importance of trust, friendship, high morals and fast, decisive actions. Reputations and the different profit levels/needs of varying businesses (pawn shops vs. big name jewelers in particular), which included hints on discovering fair vs. foul dealing, were all very valuable to this reader, and probably most anyone who reads the story
However, there were several little, somewhat unbelievable, lapses too, which made it less real and much more reliant on luck as a key device.
2023-12-24 The 9th story "Phil the Fidler" - Filippo, the young Italian immigrant was "sold" by his poor father in Italy to a "Padrone" who treats him and the other boys he has "bought" like a slave. They are all forced to work for their living on the streets of NY, fiddling for hand-outs, provided little to eat and required to turn over all their money to the Padrone, to repay the money he gave to their fathers (but not to them). Very tough life. One of Phil's friends dies of exposure, sickness and the resulting ill-treatment. But Phil succeeds by his wits, perseverance, strong character and some luck, of course, though he had his ill-luck too and close-calls, but persevered. Kindness and open-hearts by a couple who were also gravely treated by fate was another warm and fuzzy aspect to the story. Another excellent story.
2023-12-26 The 10th & last story in this book: "Slow and Sure: THE [continuing] STORY OF PAUL HOFFMAN THE YOUNG STREET-MERCHANT. Excellent ending story to this wonderful volume. Paul's rise is by no means a sure thing, but his strong work ethic, seizing of opportunities when they present themselves, attention to his family and friends and even strangers all help him along. Remembering his humble beginnings and treating others with kindness pays off in more than just feeling good about himself. The plucky and dirt poor character Julius is introduced to very good effect. He and Paul both benefit from dealing straight with each other.
2023-12-30 Just received a GREAT compliment on my review and what I think about this book from a dear and very learned friend: "This [book] is what I need to read to [her granddaughter] when she’s a little older!" WOW!!!! YES, indeed. It is going on my list for my reading to our grandkids, if/when we ever have any....more
2023-07-30 Just finished this little gem. The poems focus on so many people, issues, and ideas that affect me that I am amazed that I did not come acro2023-07-30 Just finished this little gem. The poems focus on so many people, issues, and ideas that affect me that I am amazed that I did not come across this book before - especially since I consider myself a good friend of the author. But busy lives and separation of thousands of miles for the last 25+ years or so contributed.
In any case I finally got to it the last few days and just loved it. I am a big fan of rhyme and witty wordplay - so this was perfect. I am not a poetry aficionado, but that did not stop me from appreciating and understanding the power &/or humor of most of the poems. The intimacy of the love poems was profound. The heart-wrenching pain of the grieving poems was difficult, but understandable and a great tribute. I had always wondered how he dealt with such a difficult blow.
For those interested here are just some of the many topics, people and ideas the author writes about:
Emily Dickenson Walden/Thoreau Romanticism/Romance Ayn Rand Marilyn Monroe The Statue of LIberty Salvador Dali Aristotle Rock and Roll Michigan Dunes Valentine's Day John Lennon/The Beatles Halloween Robie House/Frank Lloyd Wright Health Care economics/politics/quality and many more...
2022-07-21 I finished this last Friday and was all set to review it right away, when some big events happened to our family which took a while to work2022-07-21 I finished this last Friday and was all set to review it right away, when some big events happened to our family which took a while to work out. But now I can start again.
Really liked the book. Very cool method of dealing with people's love/hate relationship with money. Delves into many different issues that people have when they think of money. Some pretty basic emotional issues come up - anger being the main one.
I have gotten to know the author for several years and really come to respect him and his approach as quite enlightening, as long as someone is willing to engage. His honesty, goodwill, insights and kindness shine through. His experience in dealing with money personally and professionally are in synch with the book's method and help.
The humor in the dialogs in the book is fun and keeps the tone more believable and light than it might otherwise be. Some very evocative references for me: - "The voice of Lurch" (from the 60s "Adams Family" TV show). - “I feel a great disturbance in the Force, Luke. What’s up?” (does anyone NOT know that reference?) - "It doesn’t take a sensate to feel this dark hole.” - Some great sarcasm in the book - "Who knew" was used perfectly - Dialog: “So,” he said, “what can I do to repay you?” “I’m a fiend for foot massages.” “I’ve never given one. But if there’s a school, I’m all over it.” “You’re in luck. It so happens I am the founder of Foot Massage Mentors. We mentor up-and-coming young men on how to give the best foot massage in the world.” ... “Well, it’s a very young organization.” “How young?” “Two minutes.” Which leads me into:
The love interest in the book, which made the book almost read like a short romantic novel. It was VERY catchy and a great device to help the conversation deal with the importance of the ideas. And it added suspense too. Super technique for intensifying the book's ideas. It made me really care much more about whether the main character could actually change his debilitating and off-putting habits.
Side note: I think the reader of this book would have a great complementary read in "The Virtue of Happiness" by Joel Wade. See my review of that book, if curious.
The author's use of the technique of "reframing" statements was brilliant and I believe really helps get to the heart of issues that many people just can't do on their own. And that is key to why this book is so important. It could help you reframe issues in your life that have kept you from thriving, so that you can break free, see the world the way it really is, and begin to succeed in the attainment of your own true and worthy goals.
There are many references to extra, freely accessed, practice sessions on the author's website, throughout the book. I did not try these, since I was a bit pressed for time in reading the book, but I bet they could be quite helpful. The author is also available for consulting, if the reader is really serious and might like that kind of extra help. Since I have already seen and practiced the benefits of many of the key ideas in the book, I have not felt the need for that professional help.
A few gems from the book for me, and perhaps for you:
"The best way your life will improve is by you making choices based on beliefs and behaviors that are aligned with reality."
“You’ve adopted a view of the world that filters everything through the lens of victims and perpetrators. If you want to leave victimhood, there is only one place to go.” “Yeah,” Joe interrupted, “becoming a perpetrator. And that’s what I most fear.”
“Can you feel ‘weird’ and still consider a new possibility?” “I’ve felt weird since your first email, and here we are still talking.”
"doom-scrolling" - I had not heard of this before, but it does capture some unproductive behavior. Google it if you have not heard of it.
"The struggle you’re experiencing is perpetuated by seeking money, for yourself or others, without creating and delivering value.”
"If a lot of good people eschew money because it’s associated with evil rich people, we leave a vacuum that diminishes voluntary cooperation. That vacuum is a magnet for people who love power." And if this idea is new and intriguing to you, I have other books you might like to check out.
"Without that voluntary exchange, evil people introduce the currency of force.” Ditto my comment above.
“Now, Joe, imagine summarizing our conversations for a group at your next event. What would happen?” “How should I know?” “You know.” “Yeah, I know… I would get…” “Get what?” Joe’s face darkened as he created the movie in his head. “It would get me… you know… canceled.” - So, taking the ideas in this book seriously and implementing them will take COURAGE. But what significant acts in this world don't, at some level?" - How's that for a challenge?
"Wealth redistribution is like killing the cow for the meat and depriving the yet-to-be-born children of milk. Once the wealth is distributed, investments in new technology, infrastructure, medical advances, farming, and human well-being are reduced."
"Capitalism isn’t a competition for wealth or money. Capitalism is a competition to deliver value on the terms of the recipients." - And who are those "recipients?" You, me, everyone... NOT just the rich - everyone.
"Government and Money Rules The rules for a civil society that Joe and Money settled on are as follows: All monetary transactions are voluntary and exclude the use or threat of force. All transactions are transparent and honest. Each individual determines the value of every transaction for themselves."
"How can we apply these rules to every governmental structure as completely as possible? How much process can we move from the force of government to the cooperation of civil society? How can we best create a government process that is transparent and honest? How can we give each citizen as much agency as possible over their own lives and allow them to determine their own values and what is of value? How do we measure the cost of violating these rules against the benefit? By asking these questions, we will come up with a world of creative cooperation."
Can you tell from above quotations and comments that I really liked the book and highly recommend it?
That said, I have a few questions about some parts of the book which I will be talking to the author about. Depending on the feedback, I will report back here. But one point bugs me: The subtitle says "10 Keys to Financial Freedom" - but inside the book, I never saw a list of "10 Keys." "3 Keys" were repeated several times. And there may well have been other keys that made the total add up to 10. But I never saw a list of ten, other than in the title. - 2023-11-20 When I contacted the author on this he acknowledged to me the confusion and said he would update it to be much more clear in the next edition. I have not had time to read a newer edition, so I can't comment on how well he did that....more
2022-05-17 Finished this yesterday, after starting it the day before. It is a short book, only 128 pages, but I'm an even slower reader, so finishing 2022-05-17 Finished this yesterday, after starting it the day before. It is a short book, only 128 pages, but I'm an even slower reader, so finishing it that fast is not normal for me. I really enjoyed it. I'm a long-time friend of the author's. I think we met in the early 1990s after I had read a book &/or article or two of his and hosted him when he came to Chicago for a talk. We've been friends ever since.
He has shared many of his manuscripts with me and I often sent him comments on typos, and other suggestions for modifications. I believe he shared most of the manuscript for this book with me soon after he started writing it, not long after his trip to Holland in 2015. But other writing projects took precedence, till he just published the book this month.
This it the 5th in his series of kayaking adventure tales. I recommend them all and have reviewed them all. This one focuses on a trip to Holland he made in 2015 and is very charming. His observations of the country and it's many "subtleties" are precious.
If you have been to Holland or are thinking of going there, I especially recommend this short and fun book.
Oh, one of the reasons I like reading Jim Payne's books - he has a great sense of humor, and sometimes wonderfully self-deprecating.
Here are a few examples: "The Ijssel does not turn off the Rhine at a 90-degree angle, as I had expected. It slices off at a 179-degree angle - well, maybe this is an exaggeration..."
"So for anyone planning to kayak up the Rhine and turn left onto the Ijssel River, here's the rule you need to follow: every fifty yards or so, turn your boat completely around and look back down the river."
"We speak of French cuisine, Italian food, English cooking (here the speaker might give a little wink)."
"Apparently, my brain has some kind of neurological flaw that resists the logic of, "Once burned, twice shy." Instead, it seems to assume, "Once burned, it won't ever happen again."
"Precisely because the normal way to travel depends on cars and streets, my instinct suggested this unusual, deviant way of making my journeys."
2022-04-13 I just read a friend's review of another book in this genre and thought of this one. Though I only read part of it, I really liked it and WI2022-04-13 I just read a friend's review of another book in this genre and thought of this one. Though I only read part of it, I really liked it and WISH I had read/studied it all.
Since our son is now 23 and far from interested in hearing lessons from me, or a book like this, my regrets show how too late I am.
The parts I did read were valuable, useful and sometimes very funny.
Not sure why I did not make more effort to read/study it.
Perhaps because when I did share some sections with my wife and son, they were kinda, NOT interested. Not sure why though....more
2022-03-14 Finished this last night. Fun read. Brought back some great memories for me in hunting: - partridge (ruffed grouse) and woodcock with my Dad2022-03-14 Finished this last night. Fun read. Brought back some great memories for me in hunting: - partridge (ruffed grouse) and woodcock with my Dad, uncles, brothers, cousins, wife and friends in Michigan - Pheasant in IL and CA
The main focus of the book is the amazing hunting dogs the author has owned and hunted with. To see a great bird dog hunt is truly an amazing thing. The author does a very good job of conveying some of that amazement.
My hunting memories, mainly in Michigan, do not recall so many birds as the author recounts on his various stories. .. not nearly so many. But the disappointment of not seeing or shooting birds fades, with the pleasure of being just out in the great woods, and fields, during that glorious month of October. Such memories for me as: - that pungent air with the so distinctive smell of wet and rotting but not unpleasant leaves, - the incredible bright colors of the maple leaves still on the trees, - finding and tasting little wintergreen berries underneath (not in the book), - the almost insane excitement of the dogs to be let go to find the scent of the birds, - the astounding energy and diligence the dogs displayed in searching at breakneck speed all the territory we had to cover.... and many more came back to mind or was covered in the pages of this very pleasant little book.
Neat pics of the author and his dogs and some of the birds they found too.
Recommended for bird hunters for sure, or those who might want to check out the woods and fields in October for such delights....more
2021-12-19 I listened to this (Librivoxorg) audio book in June and really enjoyed it. Great to finally get to it after hearing about it many times in 2021-12-19 I listened to this (Librivoxorg) audio book in June and really enjoyed it. Great to finally get to it after hearing about it many times in school, college and other places, over many, many years (>50).
I love the morals of Ragged Dick, the main character - No stealing, good humor, perseverance and to always treat others reasonably. The story wove in lots of good humor - He was quite a wit.
The history/sociology of the book, set in New York City in the mid-1800s, is fascinating - and how the boys/orphans in the book survived in NY City on their own. HUGE difference with today's situation... and perhaps showing some advantages of the structure and possibilities of the 150+ years ago situation vs. today, at least in some respects.
Good morals, hard work, persistence, positive outlook, creativity, courage and good humor, combined with some good luck can do amazing things. These qualities are too often scoffed at these days, and for quite some time.
This book and others with similar themes and stories by Horatio Alger are far too often put down as unrealistic. But I beg to differ and believe they are far better aids to human thriving than coercive government welfare, and the mentality that feeds it, which has had so many deleterious effects. The increase in wealth of society overall, since the time of the book, should make the lessons in this book even MORE important, and easier to understand how they work in real life, rather than less.
I highly recommend this book and especially this Librivox org recording that I listened to, not just once, but 3-4x, it was so good.
---- I liked this so much that I recommended it for a book group I am in and everyone in it loved it too. Upon rereading, I started reading the sequels and hence bought an e-book edition with 9 additional stories about Ragged Dick and other Horatio Alger characters. See my GR review of that for more on each of those stories. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......more
2021-12-19 Just finished listening to this (LibriVox recording, not this print edition) for the 2nd time this morning. Loved it. Nice sequel to "Ragge2021-12-19 Just finished listening to this (LibriVox recording, not this print edition) for the 2nd time this morning. Loved it. Nice sequel to "Ragged Dick."
The attention to good morals, positive outlook, hard work, persistence, and good humor benefits greatly the main character and those he deals with who are not trying to hurt him. Good lessons for anyone to learn early. The author make no bones about good luck having a very positive effect too, but people can squander good luck. It takes the above qualities to capitalize on good luck to help an even better future along.
This book was totally pooh-pooed by my sociology and other professors in college, so it went on my list "to read" for sure. Took me about 45 years to get to it, but I am very glad I did, to see exactly what bothered those statist/nihilist minded professors.
I highly recommend the book and the Librivox recording was a very good audio edition....more
2021-09-10 I read/listened to the 2nd book in the series that this began first - Anne of Avonlea. It was GREAT. I loved it. Despite it's being associa2021-09-10 I read/listened to the 2nd book in the series that this began first - Anne of Avonlea. It was GREAT. I loved it. Despite it's being associated with young girls, I found the story captivating and the values and excitements of the story very valuable. I was willing to try the book because of the Goodreads review by my friend Brian Surkan, which I highly recommend, since I was so richly rewarded by it.
It also got me to see the Netflix series "Anne with an E" which is based on this book, but which takes significant liberties with the story, inventing many different events and not covering some. I loved the series at first, since it seemed to hew to the wonderful, uplifting and heartwarming spirit of the book. It was perfect for viewing during the covid mess last year. However, after viewing the series (2-3 seasons) a 2nd time and thinking about it more, I did not like: - some of the directions it went, - some of the incidents it invented - some of the values it introduced that were not in the book at all - its NOT using some of the perfectly fine parts of the book that it should have dealt with
I also watched one of the older TV series based on the book too and liked it better, even though it lost some of the "freshness" and "spunk" of the main character actor in the Netflix series. Sorry, I can't remember which exact version/date/actors to identify it....more
2021-07-29 I listened to the audio book (edition not listed in GR), and have not read this paperback. This third book in the series is excellent. Wond2021-07-29 I listened to the audio book (edition not listed in GR), and have not read this paperback. This third book in the series is excellent. Wonderful dramatization of the history (briefly) of the Federal Reserve Board, how it controls the money supply and how that affects everyday people.
Very enjoyable. Very recommended to kids 8-14 and their parents especially.
See my other Tuttle Twins books reviews for more info on the whole marvelous series....more
2020-12-28 - Reminded of this book today after seeing a friend's rating of a similar book of puns by Richard Lederer. Love this one, which I read shor2020-12-28 - Reminded of this book today after seeing a friend's rating of a similar book of puns by Richard Lederer. Love this one, which I read shortly after it was published in 1991 and hosted a little lunch event for the author, my friend Don Hauptman.
If you too like puns, I'm sure you will like this book. So much fun, and some great background on various types too.
2020-12-26 - Just finished this 7th installment in the great Expanse series of books. Excellent continuation of the story, the crew of the Rosie (Roci2020-12-26 - Just finished this 7th installment in the great Expanse series of books. Excellent continuation of the story, the crew of the Rosie (Rocinante) and the worlds of the Inners, Belters and now a new powerful group.
I'm very happy to report that this book deals very seriously again, as with most of the past books with the very libertarian theme of force vs. persuasion, perhaps even the non-aggression principle (NAP). It seems the authors dismiss some of the more radical anarcho-capitalist (AnCap) views of some libertarians, which is fine by me. Quite the interesting interactions and rhetoric in the book about some aspects of those ideas.
And of course some new big threats come up, which put all the familiar, and a fair number of new characters, into perilous situations. I like the action, the dialog, the settings, the plot, the excitement, suspense, humor and foreboding. All the great elements for me.
You could probably start with this book without having read any of the others and enjoy it. But why would you want to? I recommend reading them all. ------ Here are a few(?) parts I really liked:
“There are always people who are wary of change. And that’s a good thing. Change should be watched, moderated, and questioned. But that conservative view shouldn’t rein in progress or put a damper on hope."
"Freehold?” ... “Three hundred people who hate centralized authority and love guns....Charter that calls for radical personal autonomy enforced by a citizen militia made up of the whole colonial population.”
One of the character names was pretty clever: "Governor Payne Houston of Freehold:" Combo of Tom Paine and Sam Houston.
“So force,” Houston said, shaking his head. “Taxation always comes at the end of a gun.”
"Politely put,” Drummer said on the screen, “your proposed solution isn’t going to work. What you’re doing would fundamentally change the union. Jailing someone isn’t a thing we do. We’re a transport union, not a police force. We don’t have prisons. We don’t have prisoners. We don’t have judges. We have contracts. When someone breaks the terms of the contract, we object. Then we levy fines and penalties. And then, if they still won’t do what they said, we stop playing with them. What we don’t do is arrest them.”
2020-10-31 - What a book. This is sooooo appropriate for our times, and this year in particular. Great follow-on to the previous two books in the seri2020-10-31 - What a book. This is sooooo appropriate for our times, and this year in particular. Great follow-on to the previous two books in the series: Speculator and Drug Lord. Continued growth and amazing adventures, difficulties and opportunities for Charles Knight the main character in all three books. Some very riveting new and continuing characters.
The themes of integrity, moral difficulties and explorations, clarity of thought, good vs. bad, legal vs. moral, love and attraction, and more are continued. Some new themes/topics are explored to great affect: - cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies and their uses and promises - "conditional anonymity" - the power and corruption of government officials is continued and extended - humor (not a new style/feature, but plenty of new instances) - gun control - an insidious new strategy that undermines opposition is discussed - this should be considered as a major threat to overcome by 2A supporters - so much more.
I loved the book. I recommend it super-highly. Bordering on a 5 star rating! You could start with this one, if you have not read either of the previous two in the series I believe, without having too many problems. Perhaps not the best way to do it, but this book is uncanny in its timeliness for this fall (2020 & the government's covid nightmare policies) that you might want to.
My only real issue with the book is that it requires a bit of suspension of disbelief needed about how and why the main character was not assassinated himself by the so powerful government malefactors he is dealing with.
2022-02-16 Well, after about 1.5 years of thinking about this book, I do have another significant qualm. The system that the authors suggested to deal with the obviously significant downsides to an assassination market, limited with blockchain technologies, seems to me to need more critical discussion. I just don't understand the technology well enough to know if it would operate in the way that the authors say it would. Does anyone? Love to see more reviews of this book from crypto experts. ------ If you are a libertarian or objectivist, you should LOVE this book. If you are not, you will get many very good reasons to explore why not. I truly hope anyone who reads this book will come away thinking differently about a bunch of very important topics - I know I have, for sure, and I have been thinking about many of them for a very long time.
Note on my rating scale: 1 - terrible - negative recommendation 2 - beware - not good - may have some redeeming features, but overall negative 3 - OK, some value, not bad, but not highly recommended 4 - good - excellent, but probably not a classic, or has some kind of flaw(s) that keeps it from being the highest recommendation 5 - great - classic - the best - virtually no qualms at all in recommending
2020-10-15 - Just started this yesterday - already very hard to put down. Looks like it is following in the excellent path of the two previous books of the series which I loved....more
2020-06-09 Just finished this yesterday. Wow. Read it in about one week, almost a record for me, for a book of this length. I'm taking time with this 2020-06-09 Just finished this yesterday. Wow. Read it in about one week, almost a record for me, for a book of this length. I'm taking time with this book to review it way more thoroughly than any of the others in the series, since so much came together for me in this book. And I took pretty good notes in my Kindle, so I don't want to waste them. Apologies for this being really long - hope you enjoy it though. I tried to note the spoilers at the very end, but apologies if I let other cats out of the bag earlier too.
"I’m just trying to make it a little harder for people to feel comfortable killing each other.” “And keep the part where we kill each other to a minimum,” he said.
This is a major theme of the book, and main character Jim Holden's main purpose and sometimes skill. Sounds boring, or possibly too "goody-goody" right? Well, this book, and series, is anything but boring or goody-goody. I love the combination of important ideas, great dialog, character development, super exciting plot, humor and more, all in one book. Well, the rest of the previous five books in the series are wrapped up in here too.
Here's one of the great observations by Holden, who understands how people can rationalize killing others: "They didn’t kill people, they killed Earthers. Martians. Dusters. Squats.” Many studies have show that tyrants/mass murderers (and others!) use dehumanizing terminology like that to the max to describe their enemies, to condition their own lieutenants, armies, populace to hate and make the killing possible. This understanding is used to great effect in this and the other books in the series.
But this is a work of fiction, not a dry social or psychological science tome. The humor in this book is fantastic... but probably mostly only if you have read all or most of the previous books in the series. They build on each other. The back stories of the main characters (from the earlier books) are crucial for appreciating the plot, the changes, the humor in this book - geez, the humor - so great.
For libertarians and objectivists: The main theme of the book is a total winner, see above. But then the authors throw in some additional tidbits: two of the ships (unfortunately inconsequential, but still...) are named after iconic Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand characters: John Galt and Dagney Taggart. Another ship is named the Mart Watney, the main character in the cool SF novel "The Martian" loved by many objectivists and libertarians. There is also this little ambiguous mention not long after Galt and Taggart are named of a key negative concept for objectivists "this irrational bit of altruism". And the power of ideology (ideas) is stated clearly at one point: "nothing had overcome entropy or ideology or bad judgment."
"I trust Emily Richards [Mars' Prime Minister] to look out for her own best interests and Mars’ too. In that order." Excellent "public choice" point on priorities of politicians (or bureaucrats), just like any other person.
For the geeky science types: "History itself was a massive n=1 study, irreproducible. It was what made it so difficult to learn from." Very good point - similar to Ludwig Mises' point about the proper methodology of social sciences and where history fits in."
Wise parenting advice: "“Thank you,” she said, her heart thick and heavy. “For caring. For trying to watch out for me. But I lost Filip [her son]. I couldn’t save him when he was a baby. I couldn’t save him now that he’s essentially a man. That’s twice, and twice is always. I can’t stop hoping that he’ll be all right in all this. But if he’s going to get saved, he’s going to have to do it himself.” She pushed away a betraying tear. Jim took a half step toward her. “He’ll have to do it himself,” - Great smash of the "helicopter parenting" ethic that has infected far too many, with such terrible consequences.
"Coordination and distribution. Exactly the job we’re looking at.” “Well,” Alex said, “except with less piracy this time. I mean, assuming.” Commitment to the NAP? Ha!
Humor: Lots of "in" jokes, but if you have paid any attention at all to the main characters and plot, it will be easy to catch, and be great for breaks in the pervasive tension in the book. One of those characters is Fred Johnson. Whenever the leaders of the Free Navy referred to him in this book, which was very, very often, he was called "Fred Fucking Johnson." Backstory is important, but the effect always brought a grin to my face.
And on the other hand, even his friends made fun of some of Fred's efforts: "“The pajama party.” Fred winced. “I wish you wouldn’t call it that.” “Sorry. I just like the visual. Your very serious meeting of OPA leaders.”"
But Fred could dish it out to Holden too: "If we’re tiptoeing around the Free Navy, it makes it seem like we’re afraid of them. It strengthens my hand if these people see me coming in unafraid. Not foolhardy, but not intimidated.” “Like on a gunship,” Holden said. “But not one that works for Earth or Mars. Maybe an independent that’s done some work with the OPA on and off. One that Marco has already tried to blow up a couple times and failed.”
And speaking of Fred (and himself) in literary terms, the main bad guy Marco [and his son Filip] make a little blooper: "“I told you before that Johnson would be off the board, and he will be. We didn’t take him at Tycho, and we’ll take him somewhere else. He is my white whale, and I will hunt him to the end of time.” Rosenfeld looked down at his bulb, his body hunching a degree in submission. Filip had felt his father’s victory like it was his own. “Didn’t finish reading that book, did you?” Rosenfeld asked mildly." Great reference to Moby Dick, of course - the whale killed Ahab!"
"You know what I’d like?” Alex yelled down from the cockpit. “If we could get out of here?” Holden yelled back. “If we could get out of here. At this rate we’re going to be sitting here with our jumpsuits around our ankles when the bad guys get back,” Alex said. “There’s a reason they don’t call those things slow-attack ships.”"
The nearer of the ships had altered its path, and the projected curve put them through the ring and into the slow zone five minutes after the Roci and Giambattista made the transit. They weren’t breaking off. That was too bad. “Do we have a plan for dealing with that?” Alex answered over the ship comm. “I’d vote for shooting them.” And a moment later, Clarissa, “Seconded.”
"The others—mostly technicians and maintenance—were confined to their quarters with the doors locked by the station system. Which meant, in the end, by Holden. He couldn’t help feeling like he’d just sent a thousand people to their rooms to really think about what they’d done."
"she tried to get me named as the head of the spacing guild.” “You know that name’s not going to stick, right?” Alex said." (This is VERY funny, if you have read any of the series books.)
Humor AND good advice: "I’m going to go get dressed and head over.” “You wearing your power armor just walking across the tube?” Alex asked. “You know how it is,” Bobbie said. “Never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
"But I myself will stand now and forever against the tyranny of the inner planets and their exploitation and slow genocide of my people.” She saluted the camera and the message ended. Holden sighed, started up his broadcast again. “Sounds good,” he said. “We’ll be right over.” He killed the broadcast. “Seriously?” Alex called from above. “‘Sounds good, we’ll be right over’?” “I may kind of suck at this job,” Holden called back. The voice over the ship’s comm was Clarissa’s: “I thought it was sweet.”
"I [Avasarala] knew the builder. He was a fake too. Pretty, though. God save us all from good-looking men.” [or women] - yes, funny, and true. It is how some evil people get into power/have power over others - sex appeal (or charisma).
"Jim was giddy because, for once, he’d just avoided being responsible for the future of the whole human race." Yay! similar to George Washington resigning, several key times, and thereby 1. being able to enjoy some of life and 2. setting a great new precedent for preventing tyranny!"
Theme: Transformations/Redemptions This has been throughout the book/TV series - an important part of the characterizations and making them very special to the reading/viewing audience. Book 1 showed Holden's transformation from little caring to hugely caring. Other books showed transformations or redemptions in: Miller, Amos, Alex, Naomi, Clarissa/Peaches.
Here's Naomi's observation of Fred's transformation, and a great libertarian theme in the book: “I was thinking about Fred,” he said. “This? It’s what he did. Lead armies. Take stations. This is what his life was like.” “This is what he retired from,” Naomi said. “When he decided to start trying to get people to talk things out instead of shooting people, this is what he left behind.”
Cool Stuff: Another image drawn about the actual reality of revolutions that I loved: "“Still,” Roberts said. “Why bother pushing off the inners if it’s just to have a Belter foot stepping on our necks instead?” There's a great scene in the movie "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson, about another revolution, where Gibson makes a very similar observation.
"too many reminders from the still-official security apparatus that Pinkwater was an unaffiliated corporate entity with no political litmus tests and only the safety and well-being of the citizens of Ganymede at heart. The sorts of things people said because they weren’t true." - Perfecto - such a good observation - since it holds in real life all too often - especially for such things as mass media that calls itself 'objective'
"feel like I understand what I have to do in the next ... I don’t know. Five minutes? Maybe ten? Then after that, things get muddy.” “Next is enough,” Naomi said. “As long as you always see the next step, you can walk the whole way.” - Very wise advice - when fear or circumstances just seem overwhelming.
"We’re spending our whole lives together, so we need to be really gentle." Quite true and important for adults, parents and kids.
Problems with the book (and series) too: - the benefits of "market forces" are acknowledged, but the concept and value of private property and the pricing mechanism integral to the market are portrayed with in a very fast and loose way or even more often, not at all, far from acknowledging their crucial importance for civilization in directing or coordinating the market forces, and efficient allocations and creativity.
- "But it’s all the crap we’ve been doing since that first guy sharpened a rock.” Naomi pulled herself closer, tucked her head against his shoulder. Probably people had been doing that since the dawn of time too, just not in freefall." Big theme throughout the book/series - interhuman violence/war is inevitable. It seems that the authors really need to read some authors who attack this theme. I suggest: a. Ludwig Mises and his focus on how economics and liberalism have made real material progress and peace possible and that violence is not necessary or inevitable. b. James Payne and/or Stephen Pinker on the history of measuring the taming of violence over the last three centuries or so.
- “Against all evidence, I keep thinking the assholes are outliers.” - One of the things that endears Holden to the readers, Naomi and the rest of his crew, as well as most anyone in the stories that actually works with him. Well, "all evidence" is not quite right. There is certainly evidence of some assholes in the universe. But most people are the opposite. Assholes are indeed the ouliers, and the more liberal (peaceful, property rights, limited government ruled) the society, the fewer assholes there are.
- Avasarala's new governance proposal - "It was over a thousand pages long," Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!!!! Having foundational documents so long is NOT a good idea. Having basic, simple and short documents that people can and do actually read and can follow is crucial! So much more can and needs to be said about this, because it is one of the biggest problems of the US (and other world) governments RIGHT NOW!!!!
- "Maybe, if they could find a way to be gentle, the stars would be better off with them." Sure, but kinda like and almost s tough as the Christian devotion to "love thy neighbor" - virtually impossible for most to accomplish. The far less difficult to actually hope for and accomplish with most folks, the Non-Aggression Principle (NAP) combined with the understanding of the mutual benefits from the law of comparative advantage and mutuality of interests, seems much more realistic for making positive change.... especially since it already has in the last 300 years, transformed the world for the better.
- Closing book reference to Tolstoy? Really? That religious mystic?
--------------------------------- SPOILER ALERT (don't read further unless you don't worry about finding out about big changes occuring relatively late in the book): Transformation/redemptions:
Filip's - "It was like everything in his private world had doubled. One Callisto that had been the target of his raid. His critical victory that led to the bombardment of Earth and the freedom of the Belt. Another Callisto that he walked through now, where normal people had lost their mothers and children, husbands and friends in a disaster. The two places were so different, they didn’t relate. Like two ships with the same name but different layouts and jobs." The start of his crucial understanding of the horror of offensive war, what he had done, and what what right and wrong.
"And he had two fathers now. The one who led the fight against the inners and who Filip loved like plants love light, and the one who twisted out of everything that went wrong and blamed anyone but himself." Filip's understanding of his father.
Michio Pa's (or is it?): "She didn’t know she was going to speak until she said it. “I’m sorry.” What she meant was I’m sorry I didn’t stop the attack that killed your husband [and the other billions of people on Earth who died] and I’m sorry I didn’t see Inaros for what he was sooner and I would do it all differently if I could live my life backward and try again. Avasarala paused, looked deeply into Michio’s eyes, and it was like seeing someone through a mask. The deepness there startled her. When she spoke, it was as if she’d heard every nuance."...more
2021-08-20 Just finished the book, finally. The few extra stories toward the end of the book that I just read were not as positive as the earlier ones.2021-08-20 Just finished the book, finally. The few extra stories toward the end of the book that I just read were not as positive as the earlier ones. By that I mean, I did not think they were as realistic &/or promoted good values for healthy and productive lives. One was downright awful, in that it tried to justify a "great end" by using absolutely terrible means.
I don't think I am going to downgrade my overall rating because of this. It is still a classic worth reading... but just not as good as I initially thought.
2020-09-05 - I have read 15-25 of the stories. The edition I bought only has about 30 of the top (rated) stories, out of the 100 total in the orig. book.
I found the stories mostly really interesting, fun, educational, and humorous. But also sad, since there was so much deviousness going on in many/most. I don't like that aspect in life. And some of the morals did not seem right.
I would compare this book a bit to Aesop's Fables, only usually much bawdier. Quite a bit of sex in this. Amazing, considering it is 650+ years old.
I saw one person review this who said it was "anti-women" or "anti-women's rights" or "anti-feminist." That seemed totally off to me. Often, the stories show the women far smarter, better in control of their lives, and getting the upper hand in relations with their spouses or just men in general. None of the first 10 stories or so that I read were the women looked down upon, except perhaps by some idiot men. Some later stories I read, they were not drawn so positively. I have not finished the book I'm reading, let alone the full original book, so therefore do not know the statistics on all the 100 stories, but could it really change tone/focus that much? Possibly I guess.
The book was written to entertain, and I got why it is considered a classic - it sure does that... even 7 centuries later! Of the stories I read, I thought many had valuable life lessons with good morals, or fables. Recommended....more
2019-10-08 - Just finished this fun classical Greek comedy play. So glad I did - what a hoot! Very bawdy. Some great verbal cuts of politicians. Excel2019-10-08 - Just finished this fun classical Greek comedy play. So glad I did - what a hoot! Very bawdy. Some great verbal cuts of politicians. Excellent anti-war theme. The plot device is really cool - to stop the incessant wars between Athens and Sparta, the women of both city-states wage a sex-strike, which brings the men to their senses.
Pretty short - read it in 2-3 not too long sittings.
Highly recommended.
Note: This edition by Peter McGarry took some significant liberties in updating the text to include significant current era references. I highlighted just a bit of the rhyming in some text to give folks a flavor - there was quite a bit more, but by no means all of the text was in any meter that I could tell.
I liked the play enough that I might try other translations.
The end of this book gave a nice summary of classical Greek plays and playwrights and how few there are left to us through the ages. Another book I read a month or so ago described why: "The Darkening Age" by Catherine Nixey - recommended also....more
21 Sept. 2019 - I read this between 1991-1993 shortly after I met the author. What a great guy he was and what a fun, helpful and wonderful book this 21 Sept. 2019 - I read this between 1991-1993 shortly after I met the author. What a great guy he was and what a fun, helpful and wonderful book this is.
For anyone interested in making sure he/she is not poor, I recommend this.
For anyone who likes a good sense of humor and sense of life, I recommend this.
For anyone who wants to know some basic truths about insuring a better financial future for themselves and their family, I recommend this.
For anyone who wants to be a little happier in life, I recommend this book.
Thank you Brian Wesbury for introducing me to Fred J. Young!...more
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