Book Review: And Then All Hell Broke Loose

I think everyone has seen a news clip of a foreign correspondent in the midst of a dangerous war zone or riot in some faraway foreign country. I consider these guys and gals as the rock stars of the journalistic community with exciting stories that could make fiction seem boring. I’m also a child of the 90’s, so geopolitical happenings in the Middle East have been a dominant theme in news coverage through almost my entire life – from the Gulf War, to the September 11 terrorist attacks and subsequent invasion of Iraq, to the current rise of ISIL and turmoil in Syria and Libya. Richard Engel’s “And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East” covers both of these bases as a personal account of being a foreign correspondent covering the Middle East through a tumultuous period. 

The book starts with Mr. Engel as a young freelance journalist trying to make a name for himself in the midst of a failed democratic uprising in Egypt. He then moves on to cover the 2003 Iraq Invasion, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, the “war on terror” in Afghanistan, and the Arab Spring that eventually leads to the rise of the infamous ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). Along the way, Mr. Engel provides sometimes very personal insights into his thoughts and feelings, and I gain a new admiration for the danger and sacrifices that come with being the rock stars of the journalistic community. Over his two decades in the Middle East, Mr. Engel has suffered a kidnapping, a failed marriage, and the death of friends, yet continued his work to bring the world information that would otherwise go unreported. He also offers excellent insight into the complex history and dynamics of the region and Islam, supported by his first-hand experiences. 

The Middle East is complex....

Given the complex relationships and changing dynamics of the Middle East, I have admittedly developed only a surface level understanding of the situation in the region. Although the book doesn’t cover any new ground that hasn’t already been covered in the numerous texts that are available on the region, Mr. Engel's explanations and history lessons are able to distill a complex subject into a manageable read.

I found Mr. Engel's book to be highly educational and informative, while also being very engaging and entertaining. The book isn’t a light or easy read, but I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest to better understanding a region that has shaped geopolitics of the past 20 years.

Book Review: Hillbilly Elegy

ADW here. After a long hiatus, I have returned to the blog! I will mostly focus on doing book reviews as I have lots of time to read during my commute to work and also discovered that I can get free library books on my Kobo (it's a great system). So, onto my first review.

Rednecks, white trash, hicks, hillbillies. Deplorables. These are terms that have come to the forefront of many discussions trying to understand the results of last year’s US presidential election. JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy is a very topical memoir of his life so far – he’s only 31 – as a poor hillbilly growing up in the US Appalachian region, eventually joining the US Marines and graduating with a law degree from Yale University.

I would like to think that I’m at least familiar and aware of the plight of “poor country folk” in the rural, non-urban US regions that have been struggling for a long time – and I also wouldn’t be surprised if this partially applies to parts of Canada as well. I’ve heard about this a lot in news media, and read many articles and essays on the issues, but at the end of the day, I’m just a guy in a big city that has very little actual understanding or first-hand experience of life in these regions. I don’t think I’m alone based on the conversations I’ve had with many others within my bubble world and I think sometimes we comfortable urbanites need to better understand life in other parts of our world.

Reading Vance’s candid first-hand account of life as a poor hillbilly helps provide context and makes it feel more real in a way that can’t be accomplished from an outsider’s perspective. We learn about Vance’s complicated family history, which includes a colourful cast of characters such as his swearing, gun-toting, sometimes violent, yet lovable grandparents  – Mamaw once lit Papaw on fire when he came home drunk one too many times – and the Blanton men who would make you eat a pair of panties if you made fun of their sister. Vance also opens up about his childhood difficulties with an ever-changing cast of father figures and unstable family situation, and how he would have likely gone down a much darker path in life if it wasn’t for the support of his Mamaw, Papaw, sister Lindsay, and many other figures that people in similar situations aren’t so lucky to have.

I appreciated Vance’s perspective on many of the important issues facing the underprivileged – Does increased school funding really help if the kids go to school but are distracted by turmoil at home? Is bringing in child services really the best solution if the child is sent to a foster home away from other family? (I didn’t know that grandparents need to be licensed to provide foster care) How does having more jobs help if many people don't have the necessary discipline or skills? These are just some of the questions that come to mind while reading the book. 

An elegy is defined as "a poem or serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead", but I'd like to hope that we aren't quite lamenting the dead yet. Although Vance doesn’t provide any answers to these complex issues that likely won't be solved anytime soon, I believe his experiences can help stimulate thoughtful thinking and discussion, which is probably a good place to start.

A Review: The Legend of Zippy Chippy

I judged this book by its cover, grabbed it (scanned at the library) and ran (this was before I broke my leg and wrist). I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable read because I was so entertained by it! I know little about sports and even less about thoroughbred racing. But Canadian author William Thomas moulds the narrative life of racehorse Zippy Chippy in the most amusing fashion: by utilizing Zippy's life story to instill a sense of perspective about our own lives through the eyes of this lovable (and often ornery) equine.

Regardless of a reader's actual knowledge about thoroughbred horse racing history/industry, one would be able to take away tid-bits about life and sports history that can help us gain perspective about life's many struggles and failures while maintaining a positive outlook. I'm not saying that it's all rosy and rainbows and butterflies (because it's not), but it's really practical and honest in its tone. Each chapter follows a portion of Zippy's life and presents a moral and includes a brief about another similar subject that further drives the concept.

There is just enough humour, fact, moral and fun to keep the reader turning the pages and wondering what was the next bizarre turn of events that Zippy Chippy would get into. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions and reading parts to my other half about the antics which seem unbelievably silly and outrageous. Even through the silliness and the humour, I still found myself nodding in agreement about the practicality of what could be taken away from the turn of events which made the reading so satisfying!

Without giving it all away, I would highly recommend this read for anyone in any circumstances because the truth is, everyone can learn something from this ornery retired racing legend.

A Review: As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child & Avis Devoto

I picked this book up after watching Julie and Julia, then reading the autobiography of Julia Child, My Life in France because I thought it would be an interesting perspective through a collection of personal letters between Julia Child and her friend, Avis DeVoto. The decade long collection of letter correspondences between Avis and Julia start with Julia reaching out to Avis' husband, Bernard (a American historian) about a knife, through fan mail. In place of Bernard, Avis' response sparks the start of a life-long friendship and culinary/literary collaboration.

Avis is not only Julia's good friend, but she was critical to helping Julia publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julia herself is known as American chef, author and television personality. Julia brought authentic French cooking to American tables in the 60s through television and cook books. In the age of social media where relationships are created or ended in the blink of an eye, the collection of letters between Avis and Julia is very much the opposite: a lovely marination of two women's common interests and perspectives over years. While they surely had telephone correspondences on occasion, the essence of their perspectives is evident when you read the letters--both women are learned and capable in their own rights.

Avis, left and Juia, right working on... something!

I liked that the sections were prefaced by a summary of sorts to give the reader an idea about what turn of events (without giving it all away!) were about to unfold. Reading the letters feels like you're embarking on the same emotions and events Julia and Avis are, from their daily mundane struggles to the more lofty subjects like political atmosphere. Neither woman is dull by any means and the lives they lead are more than enough adventure for a reader. I enjoyed living through them by their letters as letters are generally not hidden behind several layers of editing or censoring by the writer, which makes them even more lively and enjoyable.

This is the first collection of letters I've read... it helps that I had some background from the other two books even though the editor made efforts to include lots of footnotes with explanations and clarification. Aside from the biography/autobiography slant, the book touches upon the political and cultural subjects of the time, giving a time-capsule feel where it's easy to lose yourself in their conversations. Other than the intimate insight into creation of one of the most well known and reputed French cooking books, if you enjoy history, this can be an interesting read as well, especially regarding the US political atmosphere of the 1950s.

A Review: Salt: A World History

Salt is generally associated with the table salt kind for most of us folk (NaCl, to be exact). And that association may get mixed reactions. Salt's reputation has undergone a range from positive to negative. Most of us take salt for granted and have limited exposure to its history and its variety or even the scientific definition of what a "salt" is. This book looks at salt and its most basic relationships with us humans its effect on human history.

I'll never forget my intro to macroeconomics class at UW with Larry Smith. The moment in particular that sticks vividly in my memory is when he talks about the value that people place in the pieces of paper and metal we call "money"; it's the illusion of value that we place on these items that gives them significance. The fact that 'money' gives us leverage to obtain the things that we want/need, is the source of power that these paper and little metal pieces hold over us. Logically, things that are not critical to life or are abundant and easily attainable, have a lower value than that which is critical to life. The good ol' concept of "supply and demand" varies on products or services so a currency is established to bring things to a "standard". These days, we (North Americans) generally don't trade or barter but create value in the bills and coins that become our currency to obtain things (it's a bit more complicated than that but that's the jist of it).

Our omnipotent friends Supply and Demand

All animals require some salt in their diet; herbivores require much more than carnivores as carnivores obtain much of the salt from their diets. In addition, size of the animal and the climate will also affect the needed salt intake. Specifically for humans, we not only ingest salt as part of a biological need but we used it to preserve our food, grow our crops and livestock. The average human requires 1,500-3,200 mg of sodium (3/4 teaspoon - 1 teaspoon) of salt a day (many of us get way more but that's a whole other story). There are two primary needs of salt, from our bodies: nerve and muscular function (hello, high school science!).

You can see, that it's necessary that humans consume salt, at the very least, in order to function. Which is why I think the book has a great deal of significance for us to understand our historical (and current) relationship with salt.

There is a vast amount of information concerning salt available. To present it in a manner that is both comprehensive and comprehensible, Kurlansky has to amass all the information and then distil, filter and rearrange it in a manner that makes sense to a reader. He walks the reader through the history, starting from the earliest available, to the current. But it isn't a simple dump of incidents. He makes it very complete by adding in specific excerpts and images concerning the topic and takes us around the world to different civilizations. I found the organization to be logical and effective. However, some parts of the written pieces felt forced and too dry--it was as if he was missing the segue of content from one place to the next.

Overall, I'd say that the read was enlightening but I would have been happier reading this type of (reference-y) book through a physical book rather than an e-book.

A Review: 5 Love Languages

Here's another book that I didn't pick up intentionally by my own accord. This book was most recently recommended me by a friend when I was frustrated when communicating with my dad. My friend recommended me that I take a gander at 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman to better understand what "love" needs people have on an emotional level. He's not the first one to recommend this book... a university room-mate made the same recommendation and I dismissed it as being some hippie-dippy stuff that is probably a waste of money and time. But, I've become a lot less picky about this sort of thing and hence, more open-minded (but the scientist in me hasn't disappeared and I still go in with a critical eye--and my own preconceived notions about "love").

First, when I went to look for it at the library, I had to wait several months until a copy was available for me. Here's the stats about how popular it is... there are 18 copies in the Toronto Public Library (TPL) system and there are well over 100 holds currently and borrowing a book is generally done in 3 week blocks. I was surprised, but I could wait since it wasn't a read that I was super excited about.

When I finally received the email that it had come in, I was a bit reluctant to go and pick it up. Then, when I got it, I was surprised about how small the book actually is. It's under 200 pages and a chunk of those are the quizzes to help readers assess their own primary "love language". I finished the book in 3 days.

Now, for some explanation... I am getting married this September and before everyone gets images of green meadows, rainbows and bunny rabbits, I'd like to clarify that I'm the furthest from being "lovey dovey". I just want to get this party over with so I can get on with my life. I dove into the book and Mr. Chapman starts going on about married couples and all that marriage counselling stuff; I was really put off. I thought, "ugh, is this going to be bunch of emotionally driven jargon that is going to tell me to talk about my feelings and turn me into a blubbering (I apologize in advance...) lady mess?" Because I really needed that. But, cynicism aside, I found the book insightful and powerful.

Getting past the fluffy marriage stuff and "in-love" thing, I was able to distil the central message of the book: there are 5 primary love languages (with different dialects) and each individual (and perhaps animals?), adult or child, has a basic emotional need to feel loved, wanted and appreciated. These principals are not only applicable for the married couple alone, but for all people. You learn that the information he's presenting is applicable for everyone for all relationships. Chapman also has written variations of what this book talks about... there is even a "men's edition" for those finicky husbands who think that this "hippie-dippy" stuff is below them. I haven't read it so I'm not sure how different it is but I do know that the typical man thinks and perceives things differently. In addition, there are variations of this concept but properly accommodated for the different relationships that exist... like parent-child, single person, employee-employer.

In terms of execution of the book... I love that it's short and concise. It's also simply written with examples of people and at the end of each chapter, an activity for the reader to reflect and think. In addition, there are directions about activities one can try, based on that chapter. It's like a workbook too. You're probably also wondering... how do I assess my own love language? There's two profiles in the back of the book (one for wives and another for husbands) and you can go online to do the profiling test and get sent an email about your results.

While this book is light reading in some regards because I'm coming from the perspective of being someone who doesn't have major relationship issues, I have a different perspective about it. I do like that Chapman actually has a chapter about "what if our relationship is too far gone? Can I love someone whom I hate?" I won't tell you what he says but he really rounds out the book well in terms of starting with "what is this fluttery 'in love' feeling?" to "the 5 love languages and their dialects" to "how do I love someone unlovable?". As I've said before, it's a good opportunity to learn, if nothing else.

There are no claims that you or your other half will be perfectly speaking the other's 'love language' 24/7, once you've read the book... as we know: we all make plenty of mistakes regularly, and love is a choice... but we'll be better prepared to understand that other person on what drives them to do what they do. And perhaps, you might just have an improved relationship in general.

A Review: Looptail

I always believed our company culture could change the world. That freedom and happiness would transcend what we do and create a company capable of extraordinary things. 

-- Bruce Poon-Tip

The first time I saw this book, I saw (what seemed like) an employee of G-Adventures reading it during his morning commute into (as Bruce refers to it) Base Camp in Toronto. Although he seemed thoroughly engrossed in his read, my first thought was "oh great... another fat-cat who thinks that he did the world a favour by telling us his story". Naturally, I didn't bother to look it up. But, I've travelled through G-Adventures before... They took +ADW and I to visit (for the complete series of posts) Peru to experience Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail, the Amazon and the Nazca Lines. As much as I enjoy nature and outdoor activities... I have absolutely no interest in camping; it is so low on my list of happy activities that I swore it off permanently. But, climbing the Inca Trail required me to adjust for 4 days, to sleeping on the ground and using nature's outhouse. It was possibly the most inspiring 4 days of my life and I would climb into the Andes again, in a heartbeat.

As I said, I didn't have interest to pick up the book but I love what G-Adventures stands for. I've always identified with what they do as an organization through their core principles as their guiding light to whatever they do. It's revolutionary, to say the least. However, I received the book as part of a talk Bruce did in Toronto last year on the Future of Tourism. I missed his 2012 talk because I had a night class but I was determined not to miss the 2013 one. In short, at the end of the touching and inspiring lecture, he gifted everyone in the audience a copy of the book and I went home with it and put it on my shelf with the determination that I'd read it... eventually.

I'm so glad that I decided to pick it up for 2014 because his concepts and ideas wholly resonate with me. I have the highest levels of admiration for what he does, as an entrepreneur; he didn't just come up with an idea and then worked for a decade or so... he created something, built it from the ground up, dove fully into his concept, made enemies (and won them over or totally blew them away with his innovation) and even recreated himself and the company several times! Through his journey, he rarely took the "easy" route out and continued to forge ahead with his directive to make the world a better place, through travel and tourism. Overall, I found the read incredibly spiritual and inspiring. I'm not a religious person by nature but I do have a good deal of what some consider "spirituality" and reading about his journey and thoughts really spoke to me as a person/at my core; my biggest inspirations from his book is to "pay it forward" and "Do the right thing". It's hard to express my personal feelings and experiences from reading Looptail but I am energized and inspired to do better than I've been doing so far.

Moving away from how the book made me feel, I would discuss opinions about the actual execution of his writing and the book content. The first thing is that I felt the first chapter or so was forced and didn't flow like the rest of the book. I wonder if I had to adjust to his style because he writes the way he speaks. When you read Looptail, it's like you're in a hall listening to Bruce speak about his beliefs and experiences. He doesn't use particularly eloquent prose--he writes succinctly and simply and, as if he's speaking to you directly; it's a very personal approach. He went a step further and built a web page that compliments the book by adding an audio-visual aspect that is otherwise missing from a book. When he talks about a project that Planeterra launched or the lip-dubs that his company makes, globally, he makes reference to a link on that web page. It's definitely a great way to enhance the written word and provide ever changing content to readers turned fans/believers.

I love even more, that through all his actions, experiences and thoughts, you see the quintessential struggles of an immigrant growing up in Canada and then succeeding and excelling through entrepreneurship, by not only harnessing the wanderlust of Canadians, but all the global citizens through a common purpose of learning about other cultures while having an adventure in the most sustainable and responsible way possible. As Bruce mentions, travelling, learning and experiencing other cultures helps us develop as compassionate and learned individuals who will be able to see the world for its diversity and similarity simultaneously. Further, it helps us become better individuals in whatever it is we do on a daily basis because we experience outside of our little bubble. We become driven to do better for not just what we see, but everyone (and everything) around us; it's what he calls the 'Looptail'.

As I've said, it's tough to put into words, one's spiritual experiences and I think there are moments where if you're a non-believer, this book can be a hard sell. To fully embrace the Looptail is not something everyone will take away from this book... but it certainly is a good start for anyone who just wants to expose themselves to something unconventional that is wildly successful... or just for someone who needs a fresh perspective on the world as it is today.

A Review: The Big Short

I finally committed to picking-up a book I had started over a year ago... and actually finish reading it. And let me tell you, I was totally missing out by putting it off for so long! I'm going to follow Amber on her path with book reviews and put out my personal review of The Big Short, by Michael Lewis.

I had wanted to read The Big Short for several reasons. It is touted as being a relatively thorough look at the financial crisis that transpired in 2008 and I have a penchant for non-fiction social & cultural study genre books. It helps that I am within this large and complex realm of finance so none of it was too far a stretch of what I've experienced myself.

Lewis pieces together the story of the financial crash through the key characters who had a hand in creating the big opaque machine of credit default swaps (CDS) and collateralized debit obligations (CDO). He gets into the moving parts of the "machine" that created the sub-prime mortgage meltdown and writes about the major financial institutions that were involved and the actual people behind the creation and exploitation. He takes these bigger than life characters of this financial system and basically removes the often intimidating exterior of these people and makes them relatable and... human. The reader really gets into their heads through context to their (often) hilarious personalities and backgrounds, thereby getting a better picture of the reasons why they did what they did.

Lewis excels at humourously portraying not only incidents and characters but is able to look critically and plainly at a situation and stating it without pretension. And you'll know this is true when you find yourself chuckling in public at the paragraph you just read. You're drawn into the world while he does this and the read goes by quickly even if you don't understand every single word he's said. He formulates the book in a manner that is relatively easy for the average reader to follow; seeing as even the financial institutions and rating agencies (like Moody's), who should have known about what was going on, didn't. Lewis has quite the way of aptly describing the core of what the subprime mortgages are and the intricate system that was woven by those players.

He is able to keep the interest of a reader like myself through all the jargon, numbers and complexity by turning the real life men (and women) into caricatures--often emphasizing the quarks and nuances of these people and piecing together the various events which led to the collapse of the subprime mortgage-backed CDOs.

The Big Short isn't a story of good guys or bad guys but about the inherent greed and immorality that the financial system allowed and evolved into during the 1980s boom to bring about the situation that came to a cumulative peak in September 2008. It's essentially a story about people and the tragic consequences of their actions.

NOTE: highly recommend also reading Liar's Poker.