books I own
Printer-friendly versionHomesick - by Eshkol Nevo
my quick review of Homesick - by Eshkol Nevo
I bought this book as I was looking for a book in English (as I can't read Hebrew) about every day people living in Israel since I've been visiting Israel. I wanted to get more of a feel for the people and their lives. plus I've been feeling homesick for my own country and home. many of the places and things mentioned in the book were very familiar to me since my stay here and the characters seem like friends now. at first I found it hard to work out who was speaking as all the characters say "I" - they are each telling their own story in first person throughout the book. once I got used to this the characters grew on me. I loved the simple details mentioned in the book about everyday life and I have a mental picture about them living their lives now. I'll be keeping an eye out for more books by the author as I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone who would like to read about life in Israel (ie not the media-portrayed view of Israel)
- kathy's blog
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recent book purchases
I can't stop buying books. I really need to but just haven't been able to manage it. I forgot to bring my library card to Auckland and Parsons Books was having a sale so I couldn't resist. last time I bought a book there it cost $150 - this time I bought 4 books for less than $150 so, at least I'm getting better value for money now. I'll probably be hit with excess baggage costs though...
Nam June Paik: Global Groove 2004
- this is a great collection of Nam June Paik's works and writings and includes some letters to John Cage.
did I mention that Brisbane's new GOMA - Gallery of Modern Art, has one of his video pieces "TV Cello" on display.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aliak_com/tags/namjunepaik/
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Relational Aesthetics by Nicolas Bourriaud
- I haven't started this one properly yet, but it looks like it'll be an interesting essay. it's based on a collection of editorial entries from "Documents sur l'Art" magazine that were first published in 1992.
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"How to look at a painting" by Justin Paton
- Justin Paton is speaking at the upcoming Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, and he's a NZ author so I thought I'd give it a try. I haven't started it yet though.
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Dark Fiber: Tracking Critical Internet Culture (Electronic Culture: History, Theory, and Practice) by Geert Lovink
- I've read many of Geert Lovink's writings on various maillists and website publications such as Sarai Reader so I thought I'd take a read of his book on Internet Culture.
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The Bone People by Keri Hume
- this wasn't from Parsons but I bought it last time I left Auckland and read most on the plane back to Sydney then finished it whilst I was there. amazing characters - they haunt you for a while afterwards. I still think of them now and then. a really simple story, about the lives of a couple of families in NZ. Keri Hume won the Booker Prize for this book in the early 90s and since I tend to enjoy reading Booker Prize winning books I thought I'd try an earlier one as I've mostly only read more recent winning titles. well worth the read!
amazon.com book page (though my copy has a different cover image so is probably a different edition)
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this one's a magazine, but it was priced like a book and has been capturing my attention as much as a book, so..
Archis VOLUME magazine - Issue 2006 # 4
- it's an architecture magazine but includes articles about projects & urban issues from around the world as well as upcoming conferences and calls for works / request for comments about certain global issues.
http://www.c-lab.columbia.edu/
- kathy's blog
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reading notes from "Grassroots - a field guide for feminist activism" by Jennifer Baumgardner & Amy Richards
Today I read "Grassroots - a field guide for feminist activism" by Jennifer Baumgardner & Amy Richards. It's a DIY feminist activism book that gives examples of how everyday women can perform activist activities without having to be too radical. Examples are from high school, university students, women at work and in their local communities. Baumgardner and Richards speak about and provide contact details for many organisations performing and supporting feminist activism projects. I've included some links in the feminism and activism links on this site if you are interested in finding out more, otherwise track down the book from your local bookstore..
The authors, who also co-wrote "Manifesta", define activism (page xix, Prologue) as:
".. consistently expressing one's values with the goal of making the world more just. We use feminism as our philosophy for that value system; that is, we try to take off the cultural lens that sees mostly men and filters out women and replace it with one that sees all people. We ask: "Do our lifestyles reflect our politics?" "How can we make sure that we all receive the same breaks - and basic necessities - traditionally awarded to white males?" An activist is anyone who accesses the resources that he or she has as an individual for the benefit of the common good. With that definition, activism is available to anyone. By asserting that anyone can be an activist, we aren't trying to weaken or water down its power. We believe that activism is by definition profound, a big deal, revolutionary. However, we are challenging the notion that there is one type of person who is an activist - someone serious, rebellious, privileged, and unrealistically heroic."
- kathy's blog
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reading notes "Where you're at" by Patrick Neate (notes from the frontline of a hip hop planet)
I've just finished reading "Where you're at - notes from the frontline of a hip hop planet" by Patrick Neate. I thought it was a great book - sometimes he went off on a few tangents, but they provided interesting background information on the context of the hip hop communities in the different cities covered in the book. I'm now re-reading/skimming through it to post up some notes on sections I found most thought provoking. Much of the underlying thread of the book is about the cultural misappropriation of hip hop.
from Part One: New York
page 30
"In 1996, the Oakland School board passed a resolution that African-American schoolchildren did not, in fact, speak English but a separate language called Ebonics. They should be taught, therefore, in the bilingual educational structure offered to other students with English as a second language. Unsurprisingly, this resolution caused a media ruckus that sparked debate across the political and academic spectrum."
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from Part One: New York
pages 31-32
The Oakland resolution arose from a desire to explain continuing underachievement by African-Americans in school. Black students, the argument went, were disadvantaged by the need to learn standard English that differed from the dialect they spoke at home.
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- kathy's blog
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Hip Hop Files - Photographs 1979-1984, Martha Cooper
an excellent record of the early hip hop years by photographer Martha Cooper
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