Brief reviews, part 1

I have a massive piles of books to review, going back a year. Short reviews are the only way I’ll get through them (with +, 0, and – indicating position, neutral, or negative overall opinions.)

The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell (+)
Gladwell considers the subtle reasons why certain products, ideas, and behaviors spread across society. Among other things, he discusses the factors behind the propogation of Hush Puppies, Sesame Street, New York crime, and teenage smoking. It’s a pleasure to read, and both the general concepts and specific examples are interesting.

I, Claudius, by Robert Graves (+)
This fictional autobiography of the Roman emperor Claudius is awesome. Graves paints a vivid picture of life in ancient Rome, breathing life into historical personas such as Claudius, Augustus, and Caligula. In addition to the exceptional writing, the intrigue, corruption, and immorality of the Roman aristocracy makes for a great story.

Self-Made Man, by Norah Vincent (0)
Vincent spent a year-and-a-half impersonating a guy, to learn about how men experience life. She involved herself in the most masculine parts of society: a bowling league, strip clubs, dating, a monastery, aggressive sales, and the men’s movement. Though she sheds some light on the male condition, it’s clear that she’s a somewhat unbalanced person. Susan Faludi’s Stiffed is much better.

Breaking the Spell, by Daniel Dennett (0)
Dennett, an atheist philosopher, considers religion from the perspective of evolutionary biology. There are some worthwhile ideas scattered throughout the book, but not enough to justify reading it.

Java Concurrency in Practice, by Brian Goetz (+)
For anyone who writes multithreaded Java code, this is a fantastic book full of valuable concepts.

Journey of the Jihadist, by Fawaz Gerges (0)
The author, an American scholar who grew up in Lebanon, spoke with several Islamists about who’s involved in the Islamic Jihad, their views and motivations. This book had such potential, but its organization was too incoherent to be that revealing. However, the portion of the book dealing with the current Iraq War and the perspective of the insurgents is well worth reading.

The Soul of a Doctor, multiple authors (0)
This book is a collection of essays by Harvard medical students, describing their initial exposure to patients and the practice of medicine. Times of transition, such as becoming a doctor, are of general interest. However, the writing and insights don’t measure up to Atul Gawande’s Complications.

The Double Helix, by James Watson (+)
This is Watson’s classic account of his research that revealed the structure of DNA. It’s a light, readable story of scientific discovery. Like any autobiography, it’s probably a biased perspective, but it conveys how a major participant felt at the time.