Category: Paper Chase

Posted in Paper Chase

Cormac McCarthy – The Road

Posted on by Michael

The Road, the acclaimed novel by Cormac McCarthy, was originally published in 2006.  The plot takes place in a burned-out America and follows “Papa” and his young son as they head out in search of the coast. Steering clear of the burned out walking corpses; the two deal with freezing weather, marauders, lack of food, and little warmth. They find tins of food along the way as they carry all their belongings in a shopping cart, searching for that elusive coast on a taped together map.

McCarthy is a master of making the entire endeavor intense and foreboding as the two wander across the country side.  There is a sense of dread throughout but the reader will root for the two to make it to their seaside paradise.  The Road won several awards including The Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It was later made into a movie and is listed as one of the best books of the 21st Century by the New York Times.

9/10

Posted in Paper Chase

Yuval Noah Harari – Homo Deus

Posted on by Michael

The follow-up to his very successful book, Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari looks to the “History of Tomorrow” in his book Homo Deus.  Released in 2016 the book explores what has happened over the last several decades.  Hunger, wars, and disease have become more manageable for most people/countries. As noted, most people are more likely to die of overeating than being malnourished. The book then looks to what may happen in the future – the continued rise of AI, new ideals, the importance of “dataism”, not to mention the rise of new god humans to replace Homo Sapiens. 

While it was published 9 years ago, much of it is still relevant today and it’s fascinating to read in the midst of all the changes happening in the world in just the last 9 months. The book talks a lot about AI and the super-rich using technology to increase their wealth and life expectancy, leaving most of the world behind to suffer as their jobs are replaced by computers and are left with little meaning.  It’s certainly a dystopian view. As he notes, Harari tells his ideas of the future to a colleague who’s reply is that she hopes she’s dead before all this happens.  It was exactly what I thought as I was reading the passage.

While many others don’t agree with his view, as noted in various reviews, Home Deus is a fascinating look into the future.  It’s one that will surely get the reader to think about what this will all actually look like and what he/she wants to leave behind for the next generation.  It’s hard to fathom what happens tomorrow, but in a lot of ways, tomorrow is already here.

9/10

Posted in Paper Chase

Heather Morris – The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Posted on by Michael

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris published in 2018 was a New York Times Bestseller and seemed to be everywhere for a few years.  Originally written as a screenplay, it was instead produced in novel form.  It follows the life of concentration camp prisoner Lale Sokolov and his love for fellow prisoner Gita.  The Slovakian Jews end up at Auschwitz-Birkenau a few weeks apart in 1942 and were there for three years. Lale takes on the role of tattooing numbers onto the arms of prisoners as they show up at the labour camp. The role offers a few small perks in an otherwise dismal situation.

Reportedly, the book has faced scrutiny as it is was based on the information told by Lale to the author and at times does not match up to factual events.  Regardless, what does make the book interesting is that it focuses on the relationships rather than strictly the atrocities these people suffered.  The fleeting interactions with Gita that Lale cherishes are contrasted with his interactions with SS guard Stefan Baretski who at times offers the smallest bits of kindness but was otherwise was a wretched person. Baretski was later sentenced to life in prison for the crimes he committed during the Holocaust.  The book is hard to put down and offers a glimpse of humanity during one of the saddest periods in human history.

8/10

Posted in Paper Chase

David Goggins – Can’t Hurt Me

Posted on by Michael

A few years ago, self-improvement book recommendations were crowding my algorithm – especially during COVID.  One of the books that was always on those lists was David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me – Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds. Goggins starts the reader off talking about his upbringing where his entire family was mentally and physically abused by his father.  Escaping with his mom to small town Indiana saw that abuse end but posed new challenges for a person of colour in a mostly white rural setting. As he became a young adult, Goggins was in a job he hated, overweight and going nowhere. A spur of the moment decision saw him start to train in order to join the Navy SEALS.

That is where the next part of the story really takes off. Goggins describes going through the grueling military hell week and all the fears that he had to overcome in order to do this (ex: afraid of the water). After completing hell week he then talks a lot about competing in ultra marathons and Iron Man competitions. A lot of these he decides to do spur of the moment without proper training.  Because of the lack of training/planning, suffering through severe physical pain and injuries to finish the competition is a main part of the story.

While his story is extreme, it certainly is an interesting and often inspiring one.  Most will not be rushing out tomorrow to run for 24 straight hours with no training on broken bones, nor should they. But he points out that people are able to push further than they originally thought possible.  He talks of the 40% rule where people stop at only 40% of their physical capabilities while the elite push through this. He also talks about taking stock of how one did on certain challenges by completing an After Action Report.

Like everyone that people look up to or aspire to be, Goggins does have his limitations (broken marriages, terrible working relationships, etc) – but there are still parts of his mentality that can be incorporated into daily life.  We’re all dealing with problems and our fair share of BS, but maybe we can keep pushing to get to another level of accomplishment. Goggins sure thinks we can. If you need an extra push, reading this book might be the push you need.

8/10

Posted in Paper Chase

Ian McEwan – Atonement

Posted on by Michael

Ian McEwan’s classic novel Atonement takes place in England in 1935.  The Tallis family welcomes in cousins + the caretaker’s son Robbie who is like family for a family dinner. The idyllic day takes a turn as sex and violence occur placing teenaged daughter Briony’s distorted view of events at the centre of a story that will tear the family apart.  As that part of the book closes, the second part and third parts jump ahead a few years to WWII. The book closes with a scene from 1999.

Atonement is extremely well written and hard to put down.  One chapter focusing in on Briony is extraordinary, a truly marvelous read.  The mood throughout is downcast as each character is dealing with their own personal version of melancholy, this lasts for decades.  The 2001 book was later made into a very well received movie starring Keira Knightly and James McAvoy.

9/10