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Democracy in Chains
Book
An explosive exposé of the right’s relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting,...
History Politics
His Final Battle: The Last Months of Franklin Roosevelt
Book
“By far the most enigmatic leading figure” of World War II. That’s how the British military...
Biography history politics
First Principles
Book
Ricks knocks it out of the park with this jewel of a book. On every page I learned something new....
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Restless Genius
Book
The extraordinary life of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the eighteenth-century literary genius who changed...
Perry Larkin (8 KP) rated Beautiful Trauma by P!nk in Music
Dec 12, 2017
Pink is my Hero
This might not be Pinks Punk, Fun, Upbeat album, but if you listen to the deeper stories in these songs, it still can lift you up. Her voice is one to be reckoned with, even though she has never been one to champion her voice over her message. I personally am obsessed with Revenge where she teams up with Eminem. It is such a fun different kind of song I'm addicted to. When describing this album, she says life is beautiful and life is traumatic, leading to her title song Beautiful Trauma where she makes the old classic comparison of love and drugs. The song Barbies speaks to us about the maturity of Alecia now that she's raising two kids, and wanting them to grow up being loved in a perfect world. Remember the easy days? As usual, Pink loves to reflect on the political climate, and What About Us does exactly that. Lose yourself in this album like I did, you won't regret it. Pink is my Hero and will always be.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Bright (2017) in Movies
Dec 23, 2017
To long (1 more)
Somtimes tries to hard to be intellegent
Again better than critic give it credit for.
Ever since I saw the first trailer for this film I wanted to see more.
The opening half an hour of the film for me was a rather slow burner. That being said the story that is being told and entire plot is something that we need more off. Some people will look at this film at see it as making a political point others will look at it and go it got great chi others will go great sci fi. That happens to be what makes it special is that it bridges the gap of so many diffrent genres and age groups maybe that why it can come across as disjointed at times.
This film is also a film I think you need to watch a couple of times to truly grasp it depth and meaning and the true beauty of it. This may put some people off but it has left me wanting to watch again to truly grasp everything and if that is not the Mark of a great film well I dont know what is.
The opening half an hour of the film for me was a rather slow burner. That being said the story that is being told and entire plot is something that we need more off. Some people will look at this film at see it as making a political point others will look at it and go it got great chi others will go great sci fi. That happens to be what makes it special is that it bridges the gap of so many diffrent genres and age groups maybe that why it can come across as disjointed at times.
This film is also a film I think you need to watch a couple of times to truly grasp it depth and meaning and the true beauty of it. This may put some people off but it has left me wanting to watch again to truly grasp everything and if that is not the Mark of a great film well I dont know what is.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century in Books
Jan 3, 2018
READ THIS NOW!
Apologies for such a forthright command, but this pithy and punchy short book is an absolute must-read. In less than 200 pages, Timothy Snyder, a Yale chair and renowned historian, describes why our actions today matter.
Along with Burleigh and Kershaw he has exposed the monstrosities of the evil regimes ruled by Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot and other tyrants who have murdered at home and abroad. Having extensively studied both right-wing and left-wing tyrannical regimes, Snyder goes onto look at the 2016 presidential campaign and Donald Trump. "Post-truth is pre-fascism," he writes, in one of many passages that seem to cast the US as a society in a pre-fascist stage.
Snyder succinctly suggests that 20 lessons from history are invaluable if we are to avoid democracy collapsing as it did after 1918. History he agrees does not repeat but it does instruct.
In a world where truth, reality and fantasy are thrown into a huge melting pot - having a book that researched facts, presents political history and encourages the reader to make their own decisions is a liberating read.
Along with Burleigh and Kershaw he has exposed the monstrosities of the evil regimes ruled by Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot and other tyrants who have murdered at home and abroad. Having extensively studied both right-wing and left-wing tyrannical regimes, Snyder goes onto look at the 2016 presidential campaign and Donald Trump. "Post-truth is pre-fascism," he writes, in one of many passages that seem to cast the US as a society in a pre-fascist stage.
Snyder succinctly suggests that 20 lessons from history are invaluable if we are to avoid democracy collapsing as it did after 1918. History he agrees does not repeat but it does instruct.
In a world where truth, reality and fantasy are thrown into a huge melting pot - having a book that researched facts, presents political history and encourages the reader to make their own decisions is a liberating read.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Ahriman: The Spirit of Destruction in Books
May 22, 2019
Espionage. Assassins.Middle East.
Homeland meets Syriana in the near future.
When the CIA intercepts intelligence on a terrorist attack in Kuwait, Petra Shirazi, a former field agent, comes face to face with the Ahriman, one of Iran's deadliest assassins.
The story is led by a strong female protagonist who is pitted against her nemesis. To stop him, Petra must confront her past and the traumatic experience that took her out of the field.
This was a well thought out, well written intricate international thriller. The main character, Petra, is an intelligent and independent woman who is forced to overcome her fears and PTSD from a failed field op in order to prevent a massive terrorist attack.
Ms. Guha does a great job weaving the political landscape of the today’s Middle East with a future (2021) that she’s created. It’s a refreshing change from the majority of spy thrillers in that the author stays away from all the typical clichés that can slow a fast paced thriller down. A great first novel.
Very good strong characters and loved the plot.
Really enjoyed this and highly recommend!
This book was provided to me for free for an honest and unbiased review
Homeland meets Syriana in the near future.
When the CIA intercepts intelligence on a terrorist attack in Kuwait, Petra Shirazi, a former field agent, comes face to face with the Ahriman, one of Iran's deadliest assassins.
The story is led by a strong female protagonist who is pitted against her nemesis. To stop him, Petra must confront her past and the traumatic experience that took her out of the field.
This was a well thought out, well written intricate international thriller. The main character, Petra, is an intelligent and independent woman who is forced to overcome her fears and PTSD from a failed field op in order to prevent a massive terrorist attack.
Ms. Guha does a great job weaving the political landscape of the today’s Middle East with a future (2021) that she’s created. It’s a refreshing change from the majority of spy thrillers in that the author stays away from all the typical clichés that can slow a fast paced thriller down. A great first novel.
Very good strong characters and loved the plot.
Really enjoyed this and highly recommend!
This book was provided to me for free for an honest and unbiased review
Awix (3310 KP) rated Captain America: Civil War (2016) in Movies
Mar 30, 2018 (Updated Feb 14, 2020)
Thirteenth MCU movie is a supremely confident and accomplished piece of entertainment. Attempts to bring the Avengers under political control cause tensions within the group; these are only exacerbated when the Winter Soldier resurfaces and apparently commits a deadly attack on an international summit.
Despite the title, this is basically the third Avengers movie, and possibly the best one yet, with great performances and superbly staged action built around a solid script. The directors marshal a big story with lots and lots of characters and make it look very easy; no wonder they were signed up for the next (proper) Avengers film. On the other hand, despite the exhilarating thrills of sequences like the stunning airport battle, this is ultimately quite a dark and introspective film about guilt, loyalty, responsibility, and friendships stretched to breaking point, and this and the fact it is so dependent on having seen many of the previous films in the series means it is probably not the most accessible of Marvel pictures. For those who've been following along, however, this is one of the best film in what's currently the most consistently impressive film franchise in the world. Plus, Black Panther's in it, too.
Despite the title, this is basically the third Avengers movie, and possibly the best one yet, with great performances and superbly staged action built around a solid script. The directors marshal a big story with lots and lots of characters and make it look very easy; no wonder they were signed up for the next (proper) Avengers film. On the other hand, despite the exhilarating thrills of sequences like the stunning airport battle, this is ultimately quite a dark and introspective film about guilt, loyalty, responsibility, and friendships stretched to breaking point, and this and the fact it is so dependent on having seen many of the previous films in the series means it is probably not the most accessible of Marvel pictures. For those who've been following along, however, this is one of the best film in what's currently the most consistently impressive film franchise in the world. Plus, Black Panther's in it, too.
Suzanne is a fictionalized biography of the author's grandmother. Anais Barbeau-Lavalette's grandmother, the eponymous Suzanne, abandoned Barbeau-Lavalette's mother and uncle at a young age and went on to live on the fringes of important artistic and political movements throughout most of her lifetime.
From the first line, I was hooked. Barbeau-Lavalette's writing is beautiful and poetic. Suzanne is written in the second person and the reader is invited to empathize with a mother who left her children, a woman who alienates herself from family while searching for her place in society.
This book is more the author's way of learning to love her estranged grandmother than a straightforward biography. Many feelings are evoked for Suzanne, empathy, anger, disgust, and admiration to name a few. But in some ways, along with the author, we start to understand Suzanne and maybe forgive her.
I really enjoyed Suzanne and found it hard to put down. Suzanne Meloche is a very interesting figure who I loved learning about. Reading this book gave me some insight into history but mostly an insight into parts of the human experience that are sometimes difficult to understand.
From the first line, I was hooked. Barbeau-Lavalette's writing is beautiful and poetic. Suzanne is written in the second person and the reader is invited to empathize with a mother who left her children, a woman who alienates herself from family while searching for her place in society.
This book is more the author's way of learning to love her estranged grandmother than a straightforward biography. Many feelings are evoked for Suzanne, empathy, anger, disgust, and admiration to name a few. But in some ways, along with the author, we start to understand Suzanne and maybe forgive her.
I really enjoyed Suzanne and found it hard to put down. Suzanne Meloche is a very interesting figure who I loved learning about. Reading this book gave me some insight into history but mostly an insight into parts of the human experience that are sometimes difficult to understand.