Venez lisons

Nickel and Dimed: On (not) Getting by in America

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:22:54 -0500

Synopsis
The author takes it upon herself to work ‘undercover’ and become a low wage, blue color worker to see if it is possible to get by and move up on the American Social Latter.

Review:
My first draft of this review was much like the book, long and whiney. Because that is exactly what I disliked about the book, I decided to redraft. So here it is. I didn’t like it and generously give it 1-star. If you are up for a short rant, continue on.

This book was boring and confusing. More than once I found myself back at the introduction to refresh my memory as to what she was attempting to prove. Was it that no one could get ahead in this country on low wages or was it that the working class is mistreated and downtrodden or that it sucks to have a job that requires a lot of work with little or no reward? Whichever it was, she had a very difficult time “spitting” it out. However, by its conclusion, I believed she accomplished what she set out to do…fail. Congratulations.

There were a few bits that really got me fired up, but not in sympathy for her case, I kept thinking up solutions or arguments to refute what she had put forth. Rather than spend the 15 hours or so it may take to read this book, get off your duff and go help someone! We can talk about change for the rest of our lives but until we DO something about it, our hope for change is wasted.

Three Cups of Tea

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:49:15 -0400

Synopsis:

Greg Mortenson is a mountain climber who understands what it is like to almost reach a goal. In his failed attempt to summit K2 he learned that there are many who never even get the chance to climb the mountains that block their path and he has made it his life’s mission to help them start climbing. He builds schools and provides an education to impoverished children in Pakistan and now Afghanistan.

Review:

Greg’s story is inspiring. I’m always in awe to see what one person can do. Mortensen is engaged in something that I believe in and that is DOING. You don’t have to be building schools on foreign land to be a hero, all you need to do is DO. Greg had no personal or familial wealth to help him in his cause; he simply saw a need and began to fill it. This is a story we all can learn from. Greatness isn’t measured by the task we accomplish or the accolades we receive. Greatness is measured by the action we engage in. Volunteering at a school on home soil can be just as heroic.

Now although I loved what the book stands for, I didn’t care so much for how it was presented. I didn’t find the story to be gripping and it didn’t delve enough into the lives of the people Greg was helping. It was more of a biography on Greg Mortensen, who is amazing, but I learned that I respond much more to the struggles we are trying to solve rather than to the struggles of the person trying to solve them. In the past I’ve been reprimanded for giving high reviews to books, which the subject matter is engaging but the writing is not. All this taken into consideration, I give this book 3.5 stars; 4 at best.

The Diabetes Diet

Thu, 9 Oct 2008 01:13:08 -0400

Synopsis
This is not a novel. It’s informative text on one diabetic/doctor’s experience with this disease. He offers incite into the cause, management and prevention to this problem that is plaguing Americans.

Background:
This summer my mom was misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. A short time after her diagnosis, she was admitted to the hospital due to complications from maintained high blood sugar levels. She has since been diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic and needless to say, her life has changed. I wanted to let her know that I was there for her in any way she needed so I did the only thing I could think of… I told her I would be diabetic to. I would limit my diet to what she could eat and we would do this together. But what could she eat? I started reading anything I could that shed some light on the matter. This book was the first I came across and I found the information to be fascinating (the recipes….not so much). I was so intrigued by what was presented that when I decide to get my postgraduate degree it may well be in medicine. I was and continue to be in total awe by how our bodies work and I want to learn as much as I can. Ok so to the book.

Review:
Did you know that insulin is the ONLY reason we retain fat! Well this idea was news to me and caught me from the beginning. I also learned what it means to have a ‘carb addiction’ and what happens when you are insulin resistant. I was absolutely astounded when I read which foods cause blood sugar levels to spike. I knew it wasn’t just refined sugar, but I had no idea whole grains were a nemesis along with some beans and practically ALL fruit! Wow.

Not only was I impressed by the information provided but I also loved how Dr. Bernstein came to these findings and conclusions. He has been a diabetic since his youth and started running experiments on himself. He was a forty-something-year-old engineer when he decided to go to medical school in order for his research to be taken seriously by the medical community. I loved that! It’s never too late to do hard things and accomplish your hearts desire.

I think I read the entire book with my mouth opened in disbelief at what was being presented. Rather than blindly take his word for it, I decided to get my own blood sugar meter and put it to the test. Many finger pricks and 10 lost pounds later, he made a believer out of me. Some critics will say his stringent diet is unnecessary due to the availability of insulin injections, medications and/or a functioning pancreas. To them I say…it may be so, but if I can be disciplined to only fuel my body with what is necessary won’t that empower me in more ways than one? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it 4-stars.

Update:
Two months later, I’ve maintained my weight loss within a few ounces. I’ve NEVER been able to do that. Oh and… I haven’t been able to cut out homemade whole wheat bread. I tried…really hard. I’ve decreased my intake, but haven’t been able to cut it out completely.

Pride and Prejudice

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:12:32 -0400

Synopsis:
Elizabeth Bennet, does not follow the crowd. While the ladies of this Regency Era are concerned with maintaining or gaining a certain social status, Lizzy thinks little of it. She could dream of another alternative and hope that her prince will come, but she is much too grounded to be so foolish. She will make her own way before she gets caught up in anything like that. She would rather live a life alone than spend it with a man who cares only about social status and stigma. Her world, as she has come to accept it, turns upside down upon the entrance of one, Mr. Darcy.

Review:
This was my first Jane Austen Novel. (Wow I know, what rock have I been under…I haven’t even seen a single film rendition) This book lived up to every bit of praise and hype that surrounds it. I loved every minute of it and give it 4 ½-stars.

I connected with Lizzy Bennet from the moment her father mentions her in the first chapter. I quickly found myself anticipating almost everything she was going to do and say. For those who have read the book you can then only imagine how I felt as the plot thickens and the reader learns what is meant by, ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Because I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t read the book, all I will say is that I was completely blind sighted and felt that I had been kicked in the gut. Frequently, I found myself reflecting on past relationships to assess if I had placed judgments that were incorrect and thus damaged any hope of having a meaningful connection. Painfully I found that I had. Is there anyway, one could not when honestly evaluating the past? Is there any person who hasn’t? Oh our prejudice, oh our pride!

While reading this book I couldn’t help but be animated. I smiled, frowned, giggled, gasped, slammed the book down in outrage. (Yet always picked it up again to turn another page.) From other reviewers you will hear so much of Mr. Darcy and what he brings to the table but for me, he was a supporting role in this book. Pride and Prejudice is all about me….I mean Elizabeth Bennet. I learned so much about myself and why I do some crazy things I do. I learned that I shouldn’t complain so much about being a woman in today’s world because I never would have survived in Lizzy’s. Ok, enough of the ambiguousness read it and lets discuss! Can’t wait for ‘Middle March’ but must complete some assigned reading first.